The HBO AIDS drama The Normal Heart
received 16 Emmy nominations on Thursday, including nominations for
out actors Matt Bomer and Jim Parsons.
Leading with the most nominations were
HBO's Game of Thrones (19) and FX's Fargo (18) and
American Horror Story (17). The Netflix comedy series Orange
is the New Black received 12 nominations.
(Related: Laverne
Cox: First transgender actress nominated for Primetime Emmy.)
In Director Ryan Murphy's movie
adaptation of Larry Kramer's Tony-winning play about the early days
of the AIDS epidemic in New York City, Bomer plays Felix Turner, a
closeted fashion reporter for The New York Times.
“It's so beyond exciting,” Bomer
told TVLine.com of his supporting actor nomination. “I'm just
so grateful and overcome with excitement. It's a surreal moment, but
I'm incredibly happy that the film was acknowledged in the way it was
and that so many of the people that worked so hard on it were
acknowledged as well.”
Parsons reprised his role of gay
activist Tommy Boatwright from the 2011 Broadway production.
“Everybody was so proud of this movie
that was a part of it,” Parsons
told Entertainment Tonight. “It could not feel better
to have it recognized by our peers.”
Parson is also nominated for
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for the CBS sitcom The
Big Bang Theory. He called being nominated twice “overwhelming.”
Normal Heart co-stars Mark
Ruffalo, Julia Roberts, Joe Mantello and Alfred Molina also received
nominations.