That Queen’s Gambit Guy Refused to Be Played Off at the Emmys

Photo: CBS

Apparently saying “Really no … Seriously? Stop the music� is all it takes to keep talking at an awards show. During his acceptance speech for Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, The Queen’s Gambit director Scott Frank refused to be played off — not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES. Holding up two pages full of people to thank, Frank started by wishing he could “stand up here and mention every single one of [his crew members], but [he’d] need a lot more time and that’s why God created IMDb.� Almost immediately after this foreshadowing, the play-off music began as he started to thank his family, friends, and actress and star Anya Taylor-Joy. Earlier in the ceremony, The Underground Railroad novelist Colson Whitehead shared on Twitter the “Please Stop� sign shown to winners once they’ve hit the 45-second mark of their speech, but Frank inexplicably refused to heed that advice. Let’s hope Conan O’Brien takes matters into his own hands next time.