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Brad Pitt Scores Emmys 2020 Nomination for Playing Dr. Fauci on ‘Saturday Night Live’

Brad Pitt clearly made an impression on Emmys voters this year. The two-time Academy Award winner was nominated for his brief Saturday Night Live cameo as Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Related: Emmy Nominations 2020: See the Complete List

Fauci, 79, stated on CNN’s New Day in early April that he wanted the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood actor, 56, to portray him on Saturday Night Live. Later that month, Pitt made the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director’s dreams come true by taking on the challenge during the sketch comedy’s cold open.

The episode was filmed remotely in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. At the time, Pitt portrayed Fauci as a man working to do his job amid the outbreak while often butting heads with his boss, President Donald Trump. Toward the end of the sketch, Pitt broke out of character to personally thank Fauci and frontline workers.

Brad Pitt Scores Emmy Nomination for Playing Dr. Fauci Saturday Night Live
Brad Pitt as Dr. Anthony Fauci during the “Fauci Cold Open” on Saturday, April 25, 2020. NBC

Related: Emmy 2020 Nominations: Biggest Snubs and Surprises

“And to the real Dr. Fauci, thank you for your calm and your clarity in this unnerving time,” the acclaimed actor said. “Thank you to the medical workers, first responders, and their families, for being on the front line.”

Two days after Pitt’s iconic take on Fauci, the physician shared his stamp of approval. “I think he did great,” Fauci told Telemundo in April. “I mean, I’m a great fan of Brad Pitt, and that’s the reason why when people ask me who’d I like to play me I mention Brad Pitt because he’s one of my favorite actors. I think he did a great job.”

Brad Pitt Scores Emmy Nomination for Playing Dr. Fauci Saturday Night Live
Dr. Anthony Fauci Alex Brandon/AP/Shutterstock

Pitt’s latest Emmy nomination marks his fourth time being recognized by the Television Academy. The Ad Astra actor was first nominated in 2002 when he guest-starred on Friends. From there, he won his first Emmy in 2014 for serving as an executive producer on The Normal Heart. He was recognized for a third time in 2015 for executive producing Nightingale.

Related: Stars' Funniest 'SNL' Moments: From Alec Baldwin to Cameron Diaz

Fans on Twitter were surprised by Pitt’s nomination and offered varying reactions. “Brad Pitt got an Emmy nomination for literally spending 60 seconds on a zoom call,” one user tweeted, while another wrote, “I love Brad Pitt. But imagine working from home for what had to be 30 minutes at most and getting an Emmy nomination.”

A third individual referred to the actor as “mr. EMMY NOMINEE brad pitt” while a fourth wrote, “Is 2020 the year of Brad Pitt? He landed an #Emmys nom for playing Dr. Fauci for 3 MINUTES on SNL. So the answer is ‘You’re damn right it is!’ He got the Oscar in February. Is the Emmy next in September?”

The 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards is slated to air on Sunday, September 20.

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