Jeffrey Tambor says his Transparent character has made him a better person

After playing Maura, the transgender matriarch of the Pfefferman family on Transparent, for 4 seasons, Jeffrey Tambor says the character has changed him for the better. “I think Maura has made me more aware, more present,” the actor tells EW. “Maura has made me a better parent, a better husband, a better citizen.”

Tambor has won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Actor the past two years, and his season 3 performance garnered him yet another. However, the actor says when people want to talk to him about the show, they’re interested in the whole ensemble. “The family, the family, the family. That’s what people say when they come up to me on the street or at events like this or, indeed, at my Dunkin’ Donuts,” Tambor explains. “People talk about the family. They keep saying, ‘That’s just like my family.’ They can relate to it. I really like that because that’s the core of our show.”

The series, which premieres its fourth season Sept. 22 on Amazon Prime, is the “greatest responsibility” of Tambor’s career, he says. “Some actors my age do [King Lear], but I’m doing Maura. To me it has the same consequence, if not more.”

Watch above to hear how Tambor uses “more of Jeffrey” to create his character, and see if he pulls off his third consecutive Emmy win Sunday, Sept. 16 at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards.