Brad Pitt's entertaining portrayal of Dr. Anthony Fauci has scored him an Emmy nomination.
Back in April, the actor provided stir-crazy Americans a bit of brevity when he channeled the immunologist during an episode of "Saturday Night Live." And now, Pitt has the chance to take home the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Series.
On Tuesday, nominations for the 72nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were released, and Pitt's name showed up alongside the following actors in his category: Luke Kirby for "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," the late Fred Willard for "Modern Family", Dev Patel for "Modern Love," Adam Driver for "Saturday Night Live" and Eddie Murphy for "Saturday Night Live."
When Pitt appeared on "SNL" in a wig and glasses to portray the nation's top infectious diseases expert, many viewers thought it was an award-worthy performance. During the skit, Pitt, as Fauci, attempted to clarify some of the statements President Donald Trump had recently released about COVID-19.
In one instance, the actor quipped about the president addressing a shortage of COVID-19 tests, saying, "When he said everyone can get a test, what he meant was almost no one."
Pitt also took a moment to set jokes aside, even removing his wig to break character and express gratitude to both first responders and Fauci: "To the real Dr. Fauci, thank you for your calm and your clarity in this unnerving time."
So what does Fauci think of the Emmy nom? Well, he hasn't weighed in just yet — but he was pretty impressed with Pitt's portrayal of him when it initially aired.
“I think he did great,” Fauci said during an appearance on Telemundo’s “Un Nuevo Dia.”
“Everything he said on Saturday is what’s going on. He did a pretty good job of putting everything together.”
During an interview with CNN, Fauci had joked that he'd love to see Pitt portray him on "SNL" one day. He said on Telemundo that seeing it come to fruition made him respect the actor even more.
“I think he showed that he is really a classy guy when, at the end, he took off his hair and thanked me and all of the health care workers,” Fauci noted. “So not only is he a really great actor, but he is actually a classy person.”