"It's a good day to be me," Benedict Cumberbatch told TheWrap on Thursday.
He's not kidding — not only does the "Sherlock" star celebrate his 37th birthday on July 19, but the actor scored an Emmy nomination for his work on HBO's "Parade's End," in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miseries or a Movie Category.
Also read: Emmys 2013 Nominations (Complete List)
It's a category that pits Cumberbatch against some pretty stiff competition, including Michael Douglas and Matt Damon in HBO's Liberace biopic "Behind the Candelabra," Al Pacino in "Phil Spector," also from HBO, and Toby Jones (a friend of Cumberbatch's) in the Alfred Hitchcock biopic "The Girl" (from — uh-huh — HBO).
The daunting competition isn't lost on Cumberbatch, who was also nominated for an Emmy last year for his work on the BBC series "Sherlock."
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"They are all superlative, inspirational actors who have been heroes to me," Cumberbatch said. "Pacino, there's nothing I can say that hasn't been said before … I adore Matt Damon. I think he's such a great leading man."