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Martin Scorsese’s wildest cameo yet is now Emmy-nominated — everything to know about the scene and his other wins
In a scene no one saw coming, Martin Scorsese pitches a film about Jonestown and ends up with an Emmy nomination
Before the Emmys conversation even kicked off, all eyes were on The Studio, Apple TV+’s comedy series created by Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen, which revolves around a fictional Hollywood studio and its hapless new executive. While the show's massive success was predicted, when the nomination list dropped Tuesday, one name in the Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series category left fans stunned, and rightfully delighted: Martin Scorsese.
His youngest daughter, Francesca Scorsese, gave fans a heartfelt look at what the nod meant to her dad. Taking to Instagram Stories, Francesca shared two emotional posts. One showed the list of nominees with confetti sprinkled over her father’s headshot, captioned: “Our little actor.” The other — a screenshot of a FaceTime call — showed the director holding his hands over his face, clearly moved, as Francesca smiled in the corner of the screen. The moment quickly went viral.
About his cameo
The 82-year-old industry mogul earned his nomination for a cameo in the pilot, which had specifically been written with him in mind. “We never FaceTimed with him. We’d never met him until the day he came to shoot,” Goldberg told Deadline. “He just liked the script and agreed based on the script, which was an absolute miracle.”
In the episode, Scorsese’s character presents a wild movie pitch to Rogen’s character, Matt Remick. His proposed film is about Jonestown, which he passionately describes as: “Jim Jones, the United States Senate, America. It’s sprawling, it’s big, it’s fun, it’s fu*ked up. Granted, it’s fu*ked up. But I see it as a meditation on cults, hero worship, mass murder, suicide, everything. It’s life.”
Has Scorsese won an Emmy before?
Scorsese was nominated alongside Jon Bernthal from The Bear and fellow Studio castmates Bryan Cranston, Dave Franco, Ron Howard, and Anthony Mackie. But this is not his first Emmy nomination! Over the years, he’s earned multiple nominations for his contributions to documentary and nonfiction projects, including The Soul of a Man (2003), American Masters, and No Direction Home: Bob Dylan (2005). His first Emmy win came in 2011 for directing an episode of Boardwalk Empire. The following year, he took home two more Emmys for George Harrison: Living in a Material World (2011), including one for directing the acclaimed special.
“You either die a director... or live long enough to become the cameo”
Naturally, the internet lit up in response to the acting nod. Fans flooded social media with comments that ranged from hilarious to deeply touching. “Reacting like he just got his first film greenlit — pure class,” one fan wrote. “Never too late to win,” said another. “MY SHAYLAAA,” was one more heartfelt comment. One more read, “The cinema master himself getting an Emmy nod. Gotta love it.” Another comment said, “I’m sorry but what do you mean that is his FIRST ACTING EMMY nomination???” Others applauded his reaction saying, “Moments like these show even the greats feel the weight of recognition in the quietest, most real way.” One more comment read, “The man mastered directing, now he’s casually collecting acting nominations too. Scorsese in his multiverse era.” And finally, “You either die a director… or live long enough to become the cameo.”
The Studio may be dominating this year’s Emmy conversation alongside Severance and DC's The Penguin, but Scorsese’s heartfelt response is the show-stealing plot twist no one saw coming.
