Yahoo News Emmys 2019: Jason Bateman's surprised reaction to Best Director win is a hit with Twitter users
Jason Bateman became an social media sensation after reacting to his Emmy win with shock and confusion.
The actor took home the prize for best directing for Ozark at the 71st annual Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday.
His facial reaction to hearing his name announced was quickly turned into a meme on Twitter as the star was left astonished at his first win as a director.
The 50-year-old was up against directors for standout episodes of Game of Thrones, Killing Eve, Succession and The Handmaid's Tale.
Slow motion of the greatest reaction ever to winning an award. Jason Bateman. The best. #Emmys2019 pic.twitter.com/EK5vfDfT0y
— Danonymous Man (@DanonymousMan)
The Jason Bateman Face is undefeated. #Emmys pic.twitter.com/BoNxVhIbSX
— Oluwajomiloju (@JomiAdeniran)
"Wow," said Bateman onstage. "That is something."
His speech was brief, with the actor stating how lucky he is to work on this show and thanking the cast, crew and his family back home.
Social media users flocked to Twitter to discuss the moment, drawing parallels with Bateman's character on sitcom Arrested Development and describing his disbelief as "perfect."
Narrator:
Michael Bluth was not even aware he was nominated.#Emmys pic.twitter.com/TVKRg1Szlb— Joseph Scrimshaw (@JosephScrimshaw)
winning an #emmy as #jasonbateman be like.... pic.twitter.com/Ho6ukv8g6S
— Deana Delrose (@deanadoes)
Jason Bateman’s utter surprise was perfect. #Emmys pic.twitter.com/TtNbq8Btvk
— Lance Ulanoff (@LanceUlanoff)
Elsewhere in the evening, he gave viewers material for a second note-worthy moment, after being roasted by talk show hosts Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel.
Poking fun at Bateman, Kimmell said: "Who would sit behind a desk and pretend to be interested in Jason Bateman's vacation stories?"
The audience erupted in laughter - and even the actor at first seemed to enjoy the gag as he was smiling when the camera panned around.
For those of you asking for that Jason Bateman gif from the #Emmys pic.twitter.com/a5tqqB9blf
— Mo Polyak (@mopolyak)
Jason Bateman proving once again he can be hilarious without saying a word. #Emmys2019 pic.twitter.com/MEXQqbzLks
— Kim Hambleton (@KimHambleton)
While his wife beside him continued to laugh, Bateman looked over to her for support as the smile quickly disappeared from his face.
That same night, the Arrested Development actor missed out on an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.
The Emmys is the biggest night in US television and recognises excellence in the medium.
US pop star Halsey performed the in memoriam section, singing Cyndi Lauper’s Time After Time in tribute to stars including John Singleton, Cameron Boyce and Arte Johnson, who died in the last 12 months.
The 71st Primetime Emmy Awards took place at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles.
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