Martin Short Explains His Unusual Emmy Season Dominance
Martin Short is all over this year's Emmy nominations thanks to three very different projects, as reported by Variety. He's nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Hulu's 'Only Murders in the Building,' where he's also an executive producer. He also scored a nod as host of ABC's 'Match Game.' Finally, he's the subject of the Netflix documentary 'Marty, Life Is Short,' which earned three nominations of its own.
The documentary, directed by his longtime friend Lawrence Kasdan, almost didn't happen. Short told Variety he was hesitant when first approached, citing his Canadian reserve and the fact he'd already written a memoir. Kasdan reportedly left an eight-minute voicemail convincing him his story was important to share.
Short gave the project his full trust and a massive archive of personal home videos he'd filmed over decades. He also revealed that director Steven Spielberg contributed home movies featuring Short. The star said the project moved forward even after the recent passing of his daughter, Katherine, with Short feeling the film's themes of love and loss were relevant.
He's also featured in a competing documentary, Amazon's 'John Candy: I Like Me,' about his late friend and 'SCTV' co-star. Short credited Candy with inspiring his early home video hobby. As for his other nominated work, Short told Variety there are no current plans for more 'Match Game,' but he's keeping mum on details for the upcoming London-set season of 'Only Murders.'
