The 50-year-old actress gushes to ET about her Emmy nomination for ‘Hamilton’ and being close to becoming an EGOT.
Renée Elise Goldsberry is on her way to EGOT status!
The 50-year-old actress has one of Hamilton's 12 Emmy nominations. She is nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie. Doldberry already has a Tony award for her role as Angelica Schuyler, as well as a GRAMMY for the cast album.
"It is so hard to imagine taking home an Emmy because I'm so shocked that I have an Emmy nomination," the actress told ET. "Honestly, I won a GRAMMY, I didn't even know that it happened. I remember standing on that stage that day and I was just so excited for Lin-[Manuel Miranda], I had no idea that I had won a GRAMMY too. So that just came in a really beautiful and simple way. And the Tony was such a celebration of theater and the love of everything that was happening in this community at that time."
"And here we are this many years later with an Emmy nomination," she marveled, adding that the best part is she will have the opportunity to celebrate the moment with her Hamilton cast.
While getting the recognition and accolades is amazing, it's the actress' kids who are the most proud of her. She is mother to son Benjamin and daughter Brielle.
"One day we were in a grocery store and we were just at a deli standing next to some woman, and my daughter, from her stroller, pulled on her jacket and said, 'My mom is in Hamilton!,'" she recalled. "And the lady was like, 'Um, that's really, wow, that's very nice.' It's mortifying! So they handle fame in different ways."
As for what her two little ones would say if their mom won an Emmy? "My kids really are very happy for me and all they really want is to know who's putting them in the bed every night," she expressed. "Most nights, a lot of nights, it's me."
With almost three quarters of a way to EGOT status, she still "can't believe" she's made it this far.
"I don't know that I'm on the EGOT race," she said, adding, "I know that I am in company with many friends who I am convinced will have one in five minutes."
Among her friends almost at an EGOT status is Hamilton creator Lin Manuel Miranda, who just needs an Oscar.
"You think imma compete with Lin-Manuel Miranda for an EGOT? He got five shows out right now! OK, come on, no!" she cracked. "I'm happy I'm in the room where it has happened and we'll see."
Long before Hamilton, Goldsberry got her big break as a backup singer on Ally McBeal.
"I learned so much on that show," she recalled. "I watched actresses and actors blow up. Calista Flockhart, she came on that show and her face was everywhere. Oh my gosh, Lucy Liu blew up on that show, Jane Krakowski. I came on the show singing backup for my very good friend Jane Krakowski. The list is endless of great actors that came on that show and blew up."
In October, Goldsberry will start shooting season 2 of Girls5eva. She stars as Wickie Roy, the takes-no-prisoner diva of a 90s girl group trying to make a comeback.
"Girls5eva is hilarious. It made me laugh when I was trying to get those lines out," she shared. "It's a second chance story and [came out at] a time when we desperately needed it. It shows you it's never too late to dream big even if it seems ridiculous. But the best part of that show is Sara Bareilles, Busy Philipps, Paula Pell, Meredith Scardino and all of the crazy cast of New York actors that came together in the middle of COVID to make it."
"We came together and we made this little nugget of a show that is so powerful and important and we had so much fun doing it," she added. "And even when we're not shooting it, when we're waiting for season two to start, we just make each other laugh."
Cedric the Entertainer will host the 2021 Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 19, airing live at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on CBS and Paramount+.
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