'I didn't think we had a shot': The Schitt's Creek cast react to their 4 Emmy nominations

Catherine O’Hara was doing her best not to get her hopes up.

“I was in a movie called For Your Consideration all about all about people thinking they were going to get nominated and none of them actually getting nominated, so I didn’t want to get sucked in,” the Schitt’s Creek star says of the anticipation leading up to the announcement of the 2019 Primetime Emmy Award nominees on Tuesday morning.

But still, she couldn’t help herself.

“A few days ago, I got sucked up enough to look up Emmy predictions online and I didnt see Schitt’s Creek on any of the lists. I thought, ‘Okay, alright.’ It’s enough that we get to do this show. It’s alright, we don’t have to be recognized. I didn’t think we had a shot, and that was fine.”

Then she found out she, costar Eugene Levy, the show’s costume designers, and the CBC/Pop TV series itself were all nominated.

“I was really shocked about my [nomination], but not shocked at all to hear Catherine got a nomination,” says Levy, who had been focused on getting his car repaired instead of sitting by the phone on Tuesday. “And then [the costume designers]! But when we got the nomination for best comedy, that was so gratifying, because it truly recognizes every single person that’s worked on the show.”

“I’m so excited for the show, that’s the most exciting one,” adds O’Hara, who believes Netflix streaming the show helped raise Schitt’s Creek‘s profile. “There is a lot of love in the show along with big laughs, and I think that the love in the show has made a lot of really lovely, kind people get behind the show and force other people to watch it.”

Eugene Levy’s son (and co-creator and costar) Dan Levy is currently in Italy, which has made getting in contact with him a little difficult — but Eugene was able to get ahold of him after their happy news broke.

“It took a while because it was hard to get a phone connection where he is but I did connect with Daniel and I congratulated him on the show and on the nominations and I just told him that all the hard work and his eye for detail and the long hours that he had put into the show had just paid off in such a beautiful way of getting recognition for the work that he’s put in. I was very, very happy for him — thrilled for him. It really is a lovely thing. And it’s still just the beginning of a fantastic career for him.”

“I started getting texts from friends that just said ‘OMG.’ I had no idea what was going on,” Dan tells EW in an exclusive statement. “And then they just kept coming. I was in the countryside with no reception so it took me a minute to piece together what was happening. This is wild. I’m just so, so happy for our team. Couldn’t be more proud.”

O’Hara says she’s reticent to even entertain the thought of giving an acceptance speech at the awards ceremony on Sept. 22 but is already planning on it being an Emmys date night with husband Bo Welch, who has been nominated for Outstanding Production Design For A Narrative Period Or Fantasy Program (One Hour Or More) for his work on A Series Of Unfortunate Events‘ “Penultimate Peril: Part 1.”

Eugene, on the other hand, is already setting his sights on an even higher-profile sixth (and final) season, which they recently wrapped filming.

“We still have one season to go!” says the actor. “I hope we continue to find people who discover and love the show through to the end.”

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