Sarah Paulson Hugs The Real Marcia Clark After Winning 2016 Emmy For ‘The People v. O.J. Simpson’

Sarah Paulson paid tribute to the real-life inspiration for her “The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” character at the 2016 Emmys. Not only did the actress bring prosecutor Marcia Clark as her date to the Los Angeles event Sunday, but she also thanking her after winning her first Emmy.

After being announced as the show’s best lead actress in a limited series/television movie for her role of Marcia Clark on the FX program, Paulson gave the real Marcia Clark a big hug in the audience inside the Microsoft Theater. Paulson went on to share kisses with co-stars John Travolta and Cuba Gooding Jr. before walking onstage to collect her honor for her work on the drama.

During her acceptance speech, the actress gave a special shout-out to Clark, who served as the lead prosecutor in the O.J. Simpson murder trial in the 1990s.

“The responsibility of playing a real person is an enormous one. You want to get it right not for you, but for them,” Paulson said. “The more I learned about the real Marcia Clark, not the two dimensional cardboard cutout I saw on the news, but the complicated, whip-smart, giant-hearted, mother of two, who woke up everyday put both feet on the floor and dedicated herself to right an uncontrollable wrong:, the loss of two innocents: Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown.”

Paulson went on to share she had been “superficial” in her initial judgment of Clark and apologized. “I am glad to be able to stand here today in front of everyone and tell you I’m sorry,” she said.

At the podium, Paulson also thanked series creator Ryan Murphy for having faith in her playing the role, “The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” cast and her girlfriend, actress Holland Taylor.

Actors Claire Danes and Bryan Cranston presented Paulson with the win. She was nominated against Felicity Huffman, Kerry Washington, Kristen Dunst, Lili Taylor and Audra McDonald.

Paulson was also nominated for best supporting actress in a limited series/television movie for her work on FX’s “American Horror Story: Hotel.” The award went to Regina King.

The Emmy Awards are airing tonight on ABC. Find out how to live stream the show HERE. See the full list of nominees HERE.