Phoebe Waller-Bridge

The 2019 Emmys were full of glitz and glamour, but as far as the Internet was concerned, there was one image that stole the show. The picture in question launched thousands of tweets, ranging from “Phoebe Waller-Bridge at the Emmy’s after party is a big fat mood,” to “My vision board is just this photo 500 times” and the popular “THE POWER SHE HOLDS.” It depicts Phoebe, mid-puff-of-smoke, blissfully relaxing on a sun lounger in a glittery Monique Lhuillier gown, surrounded by Emmys. It was, to paraphrase pretty much everyone who saw it, iconic.

But an image alone doesn’t evoke this kind of passionate response without a story behind it. The reason this picture feels so good to see is that before this moment, there were seemingly endless drafts and rewrites and deadlines. There were countless times this writer was up at all hours of the night, not celebrating in the delicious glow of the light bouncing off her golden trophies, but racking her brain to try and stick a literary landing.

Sometimes all the puzzle pieces fall into place at the perfect time. A combination of razor-sharp instincts, killer wit and genuine care for the people she works with proved to be a winning hand. She is the executive producer and was a showrunner of the thrilling hit show Killing Eve. Her one-woman play Fleabag was adapted into a show that turned her into everyone’s favorite self-sabotaging maker of mischief. (Phoebe has a habit of creating complex female anti­heroes in a way that seemed previously reserved for male characters.) And she co-wrote the screenplay for the new Bond film. It’s magical to see that all the rehearsals, baby steps, false starts and dead ends can lead to an extremely driven and unfathomably talented woman unwinding in a lounge chair surrounded by her winnings. Phoebe Waller-Bridge and all that she has achieved is, indeed, a big mood.

Swift is a Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter