(crowd cheering)
- [Interviewer 1] Hi Jharrel - Hello.
- [Interviewer 1] Over here to your left.
Lefter, here.
- Oh.
- [Interviewer 1] Hey congratulations first of all.
- Thank you so much! (crowd applauds)
Thank you guys, thank you, thank you!
- [Interviewer 1] You were the sole-latino winner tonight
and you are an Afro-latino and you are a Dominican
and I wanted to get to hear you talk about what that feels
and what does it mean that you're
the first Afro-latino to win an Acting Emmy Award,
and why you think we haven't seen more?
- That's a loaded question but
it's an honor, it's a blessing, and I hope this is a
step forward for Dominicans, for Latinos,
for Afro-Latinos.
It's about time we are here.
- [Danielle] Hey Jharrel.
Over here, this way.
- Oh, hi.
- [Danielle] Hi, Danielle with Essence.
- Hi Danielle.
- [Danielle] Hi.
So congratulations.
- Thank you so much!
- [Danielle] Very proud of you.
- Thank you.
- [Danielle] But here's the thing,
often times we, people of color, are awarded for
things that portray a lot of black pain.
Does it feel...
Are you torn by that, knowing that
those are the types of things that get awarded
in these type of spaces?
- You're absolutely right.
If you think about it: Moonlight, Twelve Years A Slave.
Unfortunately, I think our strongest stories
are the stories of pain.
Considering that's what we go through on a daily basis,
so it is unfortunate that comedies or lighter pieces
of work aren't as praised and aren't sent to
the award season.
Especially when it comes to just everything going on
but that is a good question.
I think the truth is that our pain needs to be told.
So if it has to be for the next 20 years where
we're just painfully telling our stories
until we move on, then I guess it has to be.
Thank you.
Fantastic.
- Hey Jharrel - Hey, hi.
- [Tandra] I'm in the back, to your left actually.
- Hi.
- [Tandra] Hey, I'm Tandra
from The Root, how you doing? - Good to see you Tandra.
- [Tandra] Good to see you, congratulations, well deserved.
- Thank you so much.
- [Tandra] We was over here tearing for you. (laughs)
I want to ask, because there was a very poignant moment,
I saw Corey Wise in the audience and he was crying.
So I want to ask you,
what was the most memorable piece of advice
that Cory gave you with filming this?
- I can't even,
I can't even pick one but I know that
the first time I met Corey Wise
he took the necklace off of his neck
and he put it on mine and he said
you're the king now, because we're all kings.
So if that's a piece of advice, then that's it right there.
- Jharrel? - Yeah?
- Over here. - Yes
- [Interviewer 4] All the way to the other side.
- Hi. - Hi.
- [Interviewer 4] I just want to say
you were incredible in this, - Thank you.
- so congratulations.
I had a similar question.
Seeing Corey and the other men
out in the audience as you picked up this award,
what was going through your mind?
And also being on the carpet with them
and having that whole experience?
I'm curious about that.
- I feel like I'm on the basketball team,
and they're on the team with me
and I made that final shot
and they're like all in the back like
(muffled screams) so it felt like I was just at a
championship game, and and we kind of just
we went through our last hoorah.
It's been such a journey for the past
almost a year now, or a year now.
So for this moment, and for me to be able to point
all the way back at the men,
and them point back at me that's, its a dream.
- [Interviewer 4] How are you going to celebrate tonight?
- I got my mom with me so I have to drink less
than I usually do, but definitely drink. (laughs)
- [Interviewer 4] Thank you.
- Thank you.
- [Interviewer 5] Jharrel,
right in front of you, straight ahead.
- What's up!
- [Interviewer 5] Yeah, congratulations.
- Thank you.
- I'd like to know what you knew about this case
when you were a young man.
Were you aware of it, or were you educated by this?
And secondly why did you,
I think I know the answer but I'd like to hear it from you.
Why did you want to acknowledge
these five men in the audience tonight?
- Well definitely because the project is entirely for them
and 30 years ago they were sitting
in a prison cell falsely incarcerated.
And today they're in suits,
styled by designers at The Emmys.
So I knew that if any of us, unfortunately I was
the only one who got up for "When They See Us"
but if it was any of us from "When They See Us"
their names were to be mentioned.
What was the first question?
- [Interviewer 5] I wanted to ask you
what you knew about this, as a young man--
- Not much, I wasn't even born at the time, so growing up,
I'm from New York, I'm from the Bronx,
so growing up it was almost a story among other stories.
It was almost like a life lesson.
But in terms of how in-depth I knew the story
I didn't until Ava brought it to my attention.
- [Interviewer 5] Okay, congratulations.
- Yeah, thank you.
- [Announcer] We have time for just one more question.
- [Interviewer 6] Hey Jharrel.
Speaking of you being so young.
We understand you're the youngest winner
of a lead actor in a limited series.
How do you feel about that?
- Is that true?
- [Interviewer 7] Well it's what we understand.
- Oh!
Well damn!
That's incredible!
Its an honor.
You know, kids are smart too, so.
That's cool, thank you so much!
- [Announcer] Thank you everyone!
- All right, appreciate it!
(applause)