The Last of Us was the big winner Saturday night at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, taking home eight of them, including one for Calgarian Michael Playfair.
The shot-in-Alberta HBO smash hit won for guest actor in a drama series (Nick Offerman), guest actress in a drama series (Storm Reid), main title design, picture editing for a drama series, prosthetic makeup, sound editing for a comedy or drama, sound mixing for a comedy or drama (one hour), and special visual effects in a season or a movie.
Playfair was part of the team that won for sound mixing, along with Marc Fishman and Kevin Roache.
He was one of six Albertans who were nominated Saturday, according to IATSE 212 which represents film and TV crews in the province.
“The eight Emmy wins won by The Last of Us places the show in top spot and serves to position our production community very nicely for Golden Globes and next week’s televised Emmy Awards,” IATSE 212 president Damian Petti said, in an email to CTV News.
More Emmys will be presented during the Jan. 15 televised broadcast.
“These awards and nominations demonstrate to the world that Alberta’s production community is capable of manufacturing world-class production values.”
Pedro Pascal plays Joel Miller in HBO’s The Last of Us.
The awards were originally scheduled to be handed out in early September, but were postponed due to writer and actor strikes.
The Last of Us was nominated for 24 Emmy Awards and three Golden Globes, which will be presented Sunday night, as Hollywood’s award season unofficially kicks off.
Fargo, which was also shot in Calgary, was also nominated for a trio of Golden Globes.
As for the state of Alberta’s film and television production in 2024, Petti said winning eight Emmys for a show shot entirely in the province can’t hurt.
“Productions are starting to ramp up in our jurisdiction and we expect to be very busy by May which will be a welcome relief for members of our production community, many of whom have been out of work for nearly a year,” Petti said.
According to the province, The Last of Us was shot in over 180 Alberta locations. It generated $189 million for the province and created close to 1,500 jobs.
Season 2 of The Last of Us is being shot in Vancouver.
CTV News has reached out to Michael Playfair for reaction.
