Tatiana Maslany’s Canadian peers are celebrating her Emmy win for “Orphan Black,” noting it’s a victory for the country’s acting industry as a whole.

“It’s still a rare and huge accomplishment,” “Republic of Doyle” star Allan Hawco said by phone from St. John’s on Monday, a day after the Regina native won the Emmy for best actress in a drama.

“I think people in our industry, we can be a bit cynical about awards and we can be dismissive about these kinds of things, but there’s no doubt that this is huge.

“They’re the capital of the industry in many ways, globally, and those awards are certainly an extremely competitive contest. And for her to just come out victorious, it really reflects the strength of that show, the strength in the writing, the strength in the concept and her performance.”

Maslany won for playing multiple clones — all with widely different accents and personalities — on “Orphan Black,” which airs on Space and BBC America. It was her second time being nominated for an Emmy for the sci-fi thriller, which is set to end after its next season, its fifth.

“It certainly isn’t bad for us that one of our own immense talents is taking the world by storm,” said Hawco.

“Her work speaks for itself. It truly is a testament to the work that they do on that show and its originality, the concept, the fact that she’s a female actor who has full control of it in terms of the characters that are on the series.

“She has a unique opportunity, but she’s got the stuff to make it work. It’s not something everybody can do, what she’s doing on that show.”

The 30-year-old had stiff competition in her category: Taraji P. Henson for “Empire,” Claire Danes for “Homeland,” Robin Wright for “House of Cards,” Viola Davis for “How to Get Away with Murder,” and Keri Russell for “The Americans.”

“I feel so lucky to be on a show that puts women at the centre,” Maslany said on stage, after receiving her trophy from fellow Canadian Kiefer Sutherland.

Twitter is teeming with laudatory messages for Maslany, who was also trending on the social media site on Monday morning.


GAHHH! @tatianamaslany WON AND I’M LIKE ???? #Emmys

Maslany’s “Orphan Black” castmates, including Jordan Gavaris and Kristian Bruun, were also cheering her on.

Victoria Ahearn, The Canadian Press

Filed under: best actress, Brie Larson, Emmy Awards, Kristian Bruun, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Orphan Black, Tatiana Maslany