Paul Giamatti’s Emmy-Winning Role in HBO’s John Adams: Flashback

Seventeen years ago, Paul Giamatti earned his first Emmy for playing the second president. The actor portrays the titular politician in director Tom Hooper’s seven-part HBO miniseries John Adams, which chronicles the initial 50 years in American history. Adapting author David McCullough’s Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, John Adams continued Hooper’s collaboration with HBO that began with the Emmy-winning 2005 miniseries Elizabeth I, starring Helen Mirren.

Hooper, who would later win the best director Oscar for 2010’s The King’s Speech, was looking for an actor to properly convey the demons surrounding the Founding Father known for helping to draft the Declaration of Independence and serving as the nation’s first vice president under George Washington before being elected to a single term as commander in chief. “[Giamatti] fit the sense I had of Adams as an antihero, to explore the flaws of the man in addition to his greatness,” the director has said. “When you cast Paul Giamatti, you knew you were getting a fresh look at the Revolution.”

For his part, Giamatti recalled becoming more invested in the role while filming than he may have anticipated: “My wife said — I don’t remember it — I woke up in the middle of the night and shook her awake and said, ‘Who’s going to be Secretary of State?’ She was like, ‘What?’ and then I just laid down and went back to sleep.” Counting Tom Hanks as executive producer, John Adams co-stars Laura Linney (Abigail Adams), Stephen Dillane (Thomas Jefferson) and Tom Wilkinson (Benjamin Franklin). It premiered March 16, 2008, and THR‘s review praised the project as “courageous” in its authenticity, while deeming Giamatti “brilliant.” John Adams led that year’s Emmys noms with 23, and its 13 trophies set a record for a limited series. Giamatti, Linney and Wilkinson were among the winners, along with the series’ prize as best miniseries. Giamatti, who has since starred in such TV projects as Billions, returned to the small screen this year with Netflix’s Black Mirror.

This story first appeared in a June stand-alone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.