Most actors won’t gain twenty pounds and grow out a scruffy beard for a guest role. Néstor Carbonell isn’t like most actors. Now, he has an Emmy to prove it.
“Never in a million years did I think something like this would come of it,” Carbonell said.
On Sept. 8, Carbonell walked up on stage at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles to accept his Emmy for outstanding guest actor in a drama series for ‘Shōgun.’ He helped bring the show’s total Creative Arts Emmy award wins to 14.
His role as Vasco Rodrigues, a foul-mouthed Spanish pirate, brought comedic relief to the tense drama. The unforgettable banter between Rodrigues and Cosmo Jarvis’ Blackthorne made Carbonell more than a guest actor to the Television Academy.
Carbonell’s world came to a standstill when he heard Jaime Lee Curtis announce his victory.
“It was lovely to be honored that way by the Academy,” Carbonell said. “To win was just completely unexpected.”
His first prime time gig was as a guest actor in “Law & Order” 33 years ago. To win while directing an episode of “Law & Order” made the award all the more sentimental.
“It was meaningful to me in a very full circle way, but also as an actor in a way to remind me how valuable that role is,” Carbonell said.
As a guest star, Carbonell had to steal the show while not taking the spotlight from the main cast. Viewers and the Television Academy found his technique masterful.
The novel “Shōgun” was previously adapted into a television mini-series in the 1980s. Carbonell refrained from seeing its portrayal of Rodrigues by John Rhys-Davies to deliver his own take on the infamous joker.
“I remember loving it as a kid, but I didn’t want to go back to it,” Carbonell said. “I just wanted to have my own sort of take on the role and not be colored by it.”
He was awestruck walking through recreations of imperial Japanese villages in Vancouver. Wearing the costume designer Carlos Rosario’s hand-made accessories took him back in time.
Crew members helped him perfect his Japanese and Castilian accent. Learning Japanese customs, like how to properly bow, was part of the routine.
“When you have that much talent around you and you do as much homework as you can, it just helps you get into that character even more,” Carbonell said.
Despite his family’s demands to keep it front and center, he keeps his award tucked away.
He’s taking his acclaimed skills to the director’s chair. Carbonell is directing an episode of “Law & Order” and prepares to return to Apple TV’s “The Morning Show” for its fourth season.
“‘The Morning Show’ is keeping me more than busy in the best way possible,” Carbonell said. “It’s such a beautifully written season by Charlotte Stout.”
The Emmy-winning drama series will be shooting through Thanksgiving.
Don’t lose track of Néstor Carbonell’s growing, impressive filmography. Catch him on “The Morning Show” and prepare for “Shōgun” season two by watching his award-winning performance on Hulu.
