Malek portrays Elliot Alderson in "Mr. Robot." This is his first Emmy win.

Rami Malek took home the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series on Sunday night at the 68th annual Primetime Emmy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. The category was a tight race between a handful of talented actors who hoped to take home the coveted statute.

“Please tell me you’re seeing this, too,” Malek joked when he took the stage to a roar of laughter and applause.

“I am honored to be recognized with such a distinguished and accomplished group of actors,” said Malek. “I’m honored to stand here and represent my family and every single person who has helped me get this far. I’m honored to work with a pure visionary in Sam Esmail, I wouldn’t be here without you, to go to work with an absurdly gifted cast, and crew, and writers.”

“I play a young man who is, I think like so many of us, profoundly alienated,” Malek continued. “And the unfortunate thing is I’m not sure how many of us would like to hang out with a guy like Elliot. But I want to honor the Elliot’s because there’s a little bit of Elliot in all of us, isn’t there?”

Rami Malek portrays Elliot Alderson in “Mr. Robot.” This is his first Emmy win.

Backstage, Malek spoke with emotion about the unexpected win: “To be standing here as not the typical leading man speaks a lot about where we’ve come.” He then reflected on growing up as the child of immigrants, whose parents worked incredibly hard “so they could give their children the opportunity to be special.”

When asked about what we might expect from Season 3, Malek flat-out refused to say anything: “Absolutely not — c’mon, [creator Sam Esmail] would kill me.” But he did tease that he’s already shot a scene for Season 3.

READ MORE: ‘Mr. Robot’: Should Its Baffling Twists Affect Its Emmys Chances?

The Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series category also included Kyle Chandler of “Bloodline,” Bob Odenkirk of “Better Call Saul,” Matthew Rhys of “The Americans, “Ray Donovan’s” Liev Schreiber, and “House of Cards” actor Kevin Spacey.

The Primetime Emmy Awards celebrates the best in U.S. prime time television programming as chosen by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

Check out the full list of Emmy winners by clicking here.

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