“The Queen’s Gambit” director and writer Scott Frank was called out Sunday on Twitter for insisting on pushing through his acceptance speech at the Emmys on Sunday for about two minutes despite the insistence from the orchestra’s cue that he wrap it up.
Frank won for Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for his work on the Anya Taylor-Joy-led Netflix series, and gave a speech that thanked Taylor-Joy, among many others, involved in the show and his personal life, as he was given several notices from the producers via the classic play-off music to wrap it up. At one point he responded, “Really?” to the tune and pressed on.
The two-time Academy Award nominee’s win was immediately followed by a victory for Michaela Coel for Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for her HBO show, “I May Destroy You,” a category Frank was also nominated in. Coel gave a moving 30-second speech that several Twitter users used to roast Frank even further.
“Unfortunately Scott Frank burned himself going that long with his speech and then Michaela Coel burned him again by proving you only really need 30 seconds to deliver a banger,” one user tweeted.
“Scott Frank wins Emmy for directing limited series, celebrates win with UNLIMITED SPEECH,” another wrote.
Frank gave his speech a few minutes after Debbie Allen accepted the Television Academy’s Governor’s Award, with some Twitter users mocking Frank for seemingly expecting to have the same amount of time to address the crowd as Allen was given.
A viewer took to Twitter to write: “Scott Frank you cannot silence the orchestra, you are not Debbie Allen #2021.”
“Scott frank from queen’s gambit – if #privilege was an acceptance speech. Rude af. Everyone but debbie allen got 45 secs #Emmys2021 #Emmys,” another tweeted.
Based on the novel by Walter Tevis, Frank’s “The Queen’s Gambit” is a coming-of-age story that explores the true cost of genius, per Netflix. “Abandoned and entrusted to a Kentucky orphanage in the late 1950s, a young Beth Harmon (Taylor-Joy) discovers an astonishing talent for chess while developing an addiction to tranquilizers provided by the state as a sedative for the children. Haunted by her personal demons and fueled by a cocktail of narcotics and obsession, Beth transforms into an impressively skilled and glamorous outcast while determined to conquer the traditional boundaries established in the male-dominated world of competitive chess.”
The series is directed and written by Frank and executive produced by Frank, William Horberg and Allan Scott, who also co-created the series. Along with Taylor-Joy, “The Queen’s Gambit” stars Marielle Heller, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Moses Ingram, Harry Melling and Bill Camp.
See more reactions to Frank’s Emmys acceptance speech below.