The Greatest Showman

When the curtain fell on the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards, there was joy, surprise, and a fair share of upsets.

In the drama series category, the biggest highlight was undoubtedly ‘Mad Men’ winning Outstanding Drama Series award for the third consecutive year, maintaining its dominant streak. Meanwhile, ‘Breaking Bad’ claimed Outstanding Lead Actor and Outstanding Supporting Actor, leaving fans lamenting another missed opportunity for Hugh Laurie and Michael C. Hall.

In the comedy series, the focus was not on Jim Parsons’ second win for playing “Sheldon,” but on the sweeping victory of ‘Modern Family.’ The show broke the three-year winning streak of ’30 Rock,’ capturing Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Writing, and Outstanding Supporting Actor awards. After reigning for three years, “30 Rock“ went home empty-handed this time.

As for the miniseries and movie categories, there were fewer surprises. The winners—’The Pacific’ for Outstanding Miniseries and ‘Temple Grandin’ for Outstanding Movie—were well-deserved. ‘Temple Grandin’ dominated the individual awards, winning Outstanding Lead Actress, Outstanding Supporting Actress, Outstanding Supporting Actor, and Outstanding Directing awards, while the much-anticipated ‘You Don’t Know Jack’ managed only a single trophy for Outstanding Writing.

Leading the nominations, ‘The Pacific’ ended up taking home nine awards. While it didn’t surpass the record of thirteen wins set by ‘John Adams’ in 2008, it outperformed ‘Band of Brothers’ (six awards) and was the biggest winner of the evening. Notably, all three miniseries were co-produced by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman.

The standout in the miniseries and movie categories was Renly Hall, who won the Outstanding Lead Actor for his role in ‘The Pacific.’ At just twenty years old, he set a remarkable record: the youngest winner of the Oustanding Lead Actor award in Emmy history and the second-youngest winner across all categories!

Previously, the youngest Emmy winner was fourteen-year-old Roxana Zal, who won Outstanding Supporting Actress award in a miniseries or movie category in 1984 for ‘Something About Amelia.’ Playing a young girl dealing with abuse, she won acclaim but faded from the spotlight in subsequent years. Her record remains unbroken.

In the realm of the arts, prodigies are never lacking—especially in film, where young actors often make stunning debuts. Take the Oscars, for example: Orson Welles earned a Best Actor nomination at twenty-six for ‘Citizen Kane,’ Dustin Hoffman stunned audiences at thirty with ‘The Graduate,’ and Timothy Hutton won Best Supporting Actor at twenty for ‘Ordinary People.’ Timothy’s record—winning at twenty years and 227 days—remains unchallenged.

Among actresses, the records are even more astonishing. Tatum O’Neal won Best Supporting Actress at just ten years old for ‘Paper Moon,’ and Marlee Matlin won Best Actress award at twenty-one for ‘Children of a Lesser God.’ Others like Luise Rainer and Jodie Foster achieved multiple wins before turning thirty.

As George Hall once said, “This world is full of geniuses, too many to count.”

Nonetheless, acting is an art form that requires a blend of talent, skill, and understanding. Age can impose limitations, and at the Oscars, only one male actor—Adrien Brody—has won the Best Actor award before turning thirty. Brody won the award just twenty-two days shy of his thirtieth birthday. This illustrates that recognition and accolades for acting skills often require time to mature. For male actors, the prime period for recognition typically falls between the ages of thirty-three and forty-five, which is often regarded as the golden age of an actor’s career.

The Emmys share a similar pattern. Although there is no official age ranking due to the sheer number of winners, those who won and are under thirty are rare, and winners under twenty are almost nonexistent. The only recorded winner under twenty is Roxana Zal. This trend applies across all categories, especially in the acting category, which emphasizes the test of time, accumulated experience, and the refinement of technique.

Tonight, history was rewritten. At twenty years and 282 days old, Renly Hall made history as the first actor to win the Outstanding Lead Actor award at the Emmys before turning thirty. He also became only the second winner under twenty-one to step onto the Emmy stage, following Roxana Zal.

If Bryan Cranston’s three-peat embodied the payoff of perseverance, and Jim Parsons’ win symbolized triumph for the underrepresented, then Renly Hall’s rise represented the dazzling debut of a natural-born star.

When ‘The Pacific’ premiered, no one paid attention to the changes in the cast lineup—or rather, no one cared. Everyone assumed that, like ‘Band of Brothers’, this would be a series where the whole was greater than the sum of its parts. However, after the series began airing, everything changed dramatically. Three lead actors carried the weight of the show, and while James Badge Dale’s performance was overshadowed by the narrative, and Jon Seda’s role was fragmented, Renly Hall’s portrayal successfully tied the entire series together. He masterfully conveyed the reflections hidden within the story, bringing them vividly to life.

It’s no exaggeration to say that Renly’s performance was breathtaking—redefining the series and infusing it with new vitality.

Defeating Al Pacino and Jeff Bridges to win his first Emmy Award was the ultimate affirmation of his talent. For the first time, all eyes turned to this young actor. Recognized by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, validated by the Emmy Awards, and embraced by HBO, questions arose: where would Renly Hall’s career take him next?

After the Emmys concluded, the media extensively covered the awards ceremony, and Renly was undeniably the central figure. Out of reports from over sixty media outlets, two-thirds mentioned Renly’s unexpected win. Prominent publications like ‘Vanity Fair’ and ‘The New York Times’ placed him directly in the spotlight.

“‘Mad Men,’ ‘Modern Family’… and Renly Hall.”

This was the title of ‘Vanity Fair’s piece, true to its bold and sensational style, elevating Renly to one of the three major highlights of the night. In the article, Daisy remarked, “Without a doubt, Hall delivered the most outstanding performance on television in 2010. Surpassing Bryan Cranston and Jim Parsons, and standing shoulder to shoulder with Claire Danes, he upheld the prestige of the television industry—proving once again that TV can produce performances as extraordinary as those in film.”

This high praise catapulted Renly to the centre of attention. Daisy emphasized, “Even more remarkable is that Hall is only twenty years old, with eighty-three days until he turns twenty-one. We are witnessing the rise of a new star.”

In contrast, ‘The New York Times’ commentary was more restrained, with the headline, “When We Start Overlooking Performances on Television...”

Written by Bradley, the article highlighted how people lavish praise on acting performances in films while either ignoring or undervaluing those on television. However, Bradley argued, “Renly Hall and Claire Danes redirected attention back to the small screen with their exceptional performances.” He noted that while ‘Temple Grandin’ was a TV movie with performances akin to those in film, “Hall’s work across the ten episodes of ‘The Pacific’ painstakingly built a character with nuanced layers. He portrayed the role with a calm yet profound intensity, bringing the character to life through subtle expressions and movements that linger in the memory.”

Bradley also mentioned Bryan Cranston and other notable actors, concluding with, “Actors like Hall have proven that while the rhythm and style of television acting may differ, great actors will always excel. The size of the screen cannot constrain their talent—it will simply become their stage.”

Other major outlets also chimed in, highlighting Renly’s performance.

‘The Hollywood Reporter’ observed, “This was an upset, but also not an upset. The Emmys boldly proved that absolute talent is the sole standard for recognition.”

‘The Chicago Tribune’ remarked, “Emerging from ‘The Pacific’, Renly Hall stole the spotlight from Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, and snatched the trophy Al Pacino seemed destined to win. His debut was nothing short of sensational.”

‘The New Yorker’ added, “Just as ‘Modern Family’ triumphed in comedy, Renly Hall’s outstanding performance in ‘The Pacific’ earned him the Outstanding Lead Actor award in the miniseries or movie category, making him another surprise newcomer of the evening.”

…

The overwhelming acclaim created an immediate sensation. Practically overnight, the name “Renly Hall” spread like wildfire, garnering more attention than ‘The Pacific’ had during its initial broadcast. A Hollywood fairytale was unfolding.

Meanwhile, the internet was abuzz with chatter. On Yahoo forums, discussions reached a fever pitch. Amidst the cacophony of comments and debates in the thread titled “62nd Emmy Awards Live Discussion,” one question dominated:

Who is Renly Hall?

---

T/N – This is probably the last chapter this year so I wish you all a Happy New Year and I hope you will all have a great 2025 year – Thank you all for sticking around with me, even though my updates are irregular, you are still here and for that thank you…

T/N – If you like this novel, please give a review or rating on Novel Updates