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Jodie Foster gives moving speech for first-ever Emmy win: “Love and work equals art”

Foster took home the award for best lead actress in a limited series for “True Detective: Night Country"

Senior Culture Editor

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Jodie Foster accepts the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie award for “True Detective” speaks onstage during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater on September 15, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Leon Bennett/WireImage)
Jodie Foster accepts the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie award for “True Detective” speaks onstage during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater on September 15, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Leon Bennett/WireImage)

Although Jodie Foster has bragging rights to just about every entertainment accolade there is — including leaving her mark alongside film legends who've come before her at her hand and footprint ceremony in April — there's been one key award she'd yet to claim, until now.

At the 76th Emmy Awards on Sunday, Foster won the first Emmy in her long-running career, giving a moving acceptance speech after winning best lead actress in a limited or anthology series for her role as Chief Liz Danvers in "True Detective: Night Country." 

Giving special thanks to co-star Kali Reis, showrunner Issa López, her children and her wife, Alexandra Hedison, Foster said, "Love and work equals art," telling her kids to "remember that."

Foster, who has previously won Oscars for her work in "The Accused" and "The Silence of the Lambs," has checked almost all of the boxes needed to get her EGOT. All that's left is a Tony Award. 

"This is an incredibly emotional moment for me because 'True Detective: Night Country' was such a magical experience, and it all comes from the top," Foster said in her speech. "And mostly the indigenous people, the Iñupiat and Inuit people of northern Alaska. They just told us their stories and allowed us to listen, and that was a blessing. It was love, love, love, and when you feel that, something amazing happens that's deep and wonderful and is older than this place and this time."

By Kelly McClure

Kelly McClure is Salon's Senior Culture Editor, where she helps further coverage of TV, film, music, books and culture trends from a unique and thoughtful angle. Her work has also appeared in Vulture, Vanity Fair, Vice and many other outlets that don't start with the letter V. She is the author of one sad book called "Something Is Always Happening Somewhere." Follow her on Bluesky: @WolfieVibes

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