SHOWTIME FOR A FIRST-TIMER

Michael Urie, a newbie nominee for his role in the comedy series 'Shrinking,' took us along for the ride of his life

- By Yvonne Villarreal

MICHAEL Urie gets a start on his Emmys day. Later that night, he calls Jeff Hiller's victory "a win for all of us."

THESE DAYS, Michael Urie spends most nights scribbling his name on Playbills after performances of "Oh, Mary!," Cole Escola's bawdy comedy about First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln in which Urie plays her teacher.

And every now and then, in the bustle of signing and posing for fan selfies, he says, someone will chirp “Good luck at the Emmys!” and it feels like a whiplash reminder of his other major career achievement this year.

“It’s like, ‘Oh, yeah! That’s right, I have to go do that, don’t I?’” he says, still very much processing his first Emmy nomination.

The 45-year-old was nominated for supporting actor in a comedy series for his turn in Apple TV+'s “Shrinking” as Brian, an estate lawyer whose friendship with his widowed therapist bestie Jimmy (Jason Segel) is on the mend after an estrangement. He didn’t win on Sunday — the award went to Jeff Hiller of “Somebody Somewhere” — but he was happy to be a part of the event.

The actor is best known for his comedic flare in TV series such as “Ugly Betty” and stage productions such as “Once Upon a Mattress” or “Buyer & Cellar,” but the second season of “Shrinking” provided Urie an opportunity to blend humor with heart. Urie’s Brian is working through his insecurities about becoming a parent while also inadvertently bringing the drunk driver responsible for Jimmy’s wife’s death — a character named Louis played by co-creator Brett Goldstein — back into their lives.