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Natasha Lyonne on 'Russian Doll's 13 Emmy Nominations and What to Expect in Season 2 (Exclusive)

Natasha Lyonne on 'Russian Doll's 13 Emmy Nominations and What to Expect in Season 2 (Exclusive)
Credit: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Netflix

Natasha Lyonne is "over the moon." 

The 40-year-old actress woke up early Tuesday morning for some solitaire, crosswords, meditation and reading about mathematics with her dog, Root Beer. And then she found out her Netflix series, Russian Doll, had been nominated for 13 Emmys. 

"I can't believe it," she told ET at Netflix's New York City office shortly after the news broke. "In addition to being really moved that the acting is acknowledged -- because that was a beast -- I can't believe the show that we all worked so hard on... and for Amy [Poehler] and Leslye [Headland] and Allison [Silverman] and that our writing was nominated and cinematography and production design and [Jennifer Rogien], who did our costumes... I mean, that makes me truly, truly thrilled."

"It's like a little baby, and no one's more maternal than me," Lyonne joked. "So, I feel a deep and pure warmth and a real true definition of gratitude and humility and all these very, very nice things. I mean, it's a big, nice thing to work so hard and see everybody work so hard and have it come together in such an affirming, celebratory way." 

In a May interview with ET, Lyonne -- who created Russian Doll with Poehler and Headland, wrote three episodes, and directed one -- discussed the years of work she put into the project which was meant to showcase the way she sees the world. In the eight-episode Netflix series, the actress plays Nadia Vulvokov, a woman who is stuck reliving her 36th birthday party on a loop, until she looks inside herself for a way to get back to reality. Lyonne was nominated for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series during Tuesday's Emmy nominations. She was previously nominated for Guest Actress in a Comedy in 2014 for Orange Is the New Black.

"Who could've have known [this would be my year]?" she said to ET. "It's unlikely. It's a dark horse business. I certainly didn't have it marked on the calendar as 'Don't worry, kid! We're going to get through this and watch out for 2019.'"

"Life has its own funny way of making its own moves and its unsuspecting victim being dragged along the car, but sometimes it's a stretch limousine," Lyonne joked. 

With the 2019 Emmys still months away, Lyonne isn't taking her hunt for a red carpet ensemble too seriously just yet. "The hunt for the look is like the Hunt for Red October, some say. Sean Connery is gonna be my plus one, which I'm excited about. He doesn't know it yet, but he will today," she cracked.

"I don't know. I mean, I'm hoping to wear an outfit... you want a low-stress look. You want to be able to move around, nothing too tight, no funny business, no collapsing zippers!" she explained. 

In the meantime, Lyonne is focused on creating Russian Doll season two. The series was renewed by Netflix in June, though the season's storyline -- and whether Lyonne will star -- has been kept under wraps. 

"What can I tell you? It's... you want to jump off a cliff creatively... I think I'm going to give you a series of murky answers," she said of what she can reveal about it. "But suffice to say, I'm very moved that people are interested into the deep end and that was the revelation of Russian Doll connecting, so I guess my intention in our plans are to continue to dig deep in a way that is aesthetically enjoyable and feels funny on your insides."

See more on Lyonne in the video below. 

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