‘Girls’ season 3: Lena Dunham celebrates Adam Driver’s welcome Emmy nod

Prior to the Emmy nominations announcement on Thursday, we all knew that we were going to see Lena Dunham of “Girls” receive some sort of accolade. But Adam Driver? This was something both new and somewhat unexpected. His performance as the bizarre, aggressive, and at times terrifying Adam has been fantastic since the very beginning of the show, but there has consistently been one thing that could have held him back: The Emmys’ constant reluctance to realize that new actors exist in the comedy category, especially one typically dominated by “Modern Family.”

Thanks in part to this surprise, it was both sweet and a thrill to see Dunham’s statement today (per The Hollywood Reporter), where she expressed gratitude to the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for allowing Driver’s work to be recognized on a higher stage:

“It means so much to me … He’s a serious man, so you’re not going to see him shrieking any time, but watching him work over the last three years now has been one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever had.”

Driver in so many ways does remain an enigma; he’s a relatively quiet man who does not do many interviews, and also seems to prefer to stay away from social media. However, he has made an enormous impression as one of the strongest characters on “Girls’ … who just so happens to be a guy. What’s also commendable here is that Alex Karpovsky (Ray) could have been nominated in his place, and there would have not been any real difference in enthusiasm.

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Photo: HBO