Me and My Emmy: Joe Morton

Primetime Emmy Tally: One

How He Got the Gold: As outstanding guest actor in a drama series in 2014, for his role as Rowan Pope on ABC's Scandal

Now for the Noms: The Emmy win was for his first nomination.

Big Moment: "When my name was announced, I turned to kiss my girlfriend, Christine, but she was so excited she was high-fiving me. We both laughed as I grabbed her hands and kissed her."

Speech Time: "I had a speech prepared, but during the show Christine and I were nervous that it might be too long. We agreed I should cut it a bit, but then my category was called. So, when I got up there — very excited, very nervous — I rambled through a shortened version.

I cut all the thanks to my team, my children and Christine. I began to stutter, made fun of myself and almost forgot to thank the one person I would have been mortified to forget. Fortunately, I remembered in time: I praised the genius of Shonda Rhimes."

The Winning Edge: "Winning an award of this magnitude is thrilling, but for actors, the business end of show business is based not on craft but on prospective opportunities. So, for me, the Emmy is a reminder, as Shelly Winters once put it, that some people think I can act."

The Acting Bug: "I entered Hofstra University as a psychology major. First day of orientation, we were taken around the campus, then to the theater to enjoy a play about what our first year would be like. I was mesmerized. It wasn't the play, it was the theater. It was as if I'd found something intrinsic to my very being. I got up, headed for the registrar's office and changed my major from psychology to drama."

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This article originally appeared in emmy magazine, issue No. 3, 2018