Matthew Rhys, the Hollywood star who recently made history at the Emmy Awards by becoming the first person to win two lead acting prizes in one night, has shown a humble and accommodating side in a personal encounter with a WalesOnline journalist. The actor, born and raised in Cardiff, responded quickly and kindly to a favour request made before Wales's 2019 Rugby World Cup semi-final.
Historic Emmy success and humble interviews
Rhys won the two lead acting Emmys for his roles in supernatural comedy Widow's Bay and psychological thriller The Beast In Me. He had previously won a best actor Emmy for The Americans, the spy thriller in which he also starred.
Despite his success, those who interview him find him strikingly humble. In a recent WalesOnline interview, he blushed at being called "Wales' greatest living actor" and pointed instead to Sir Anthony Hopkins and Michael Sheen. In a New York Times interview, he admitted struggling with self-confidence even after his recent success, saying: "I've just never felt that confidence, that self-assuredness that I always wished I had." The journalist who spoke to him noted that two Emmy nominations for leading roles in the same year might be expected to make him feel secure, but that would be wrong.
A favour for the Rugby World Cup
The author of this article, who had interviewed Rhys in 2008 for The Edge of Love, contacted him in 2019 when Wales were preparing for the Rugby World Cup semi-final against South Africa. The aim was to create something inspiring for the team and fans, using the poem Now and Then by Welsh poet Owen Sheers.
After sending a nervous message explaining who he was, the journalist received a quick reply. "Steffan!" came the response, as if greeting a dear old friend. Rhys immediately agreed and sent over the recording shortly afterwards. When the journalist suggested one part wasn't quite right and asked if he might do it again, Rhys politely replied that he was "just busy filming at the moment" but would do it later if he could. The HBO remake of Perry Mason, in which he starred, came out shortly afterwards.
Generosity remembered
Rhys dedicated his recent Emmy awards "to the great and good people of Wales" and left the stage saying "Diolch yn fawr iawn" (thank you very much in Welsh). His willingness to help out of a frantic filming schedule is remembered clearly and fondly by the journalist, who doubts he will ever forget it.
