Emmy Nominee Reactions: Shailene Woodley Was Getting a Lash Lift, Sepideh Moafi Cries and Jonathan Pryce Jokes About Joining ‘Love Island’

Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series, Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series

How are you feeling this morning?

Paul W. Downs: Overwhelmed.

Lucia Aniello: Yeah. Overwhelmed and lucky.

Jen Statsky: Very, very grateful for this experience.

Aniello: And also grateful for an opportunity to FaceTime people that we love.

Who have you had a chance to call or connect with so far?

Downs: We called a lot of people. I told Meg [Stalter] about her nomination because she hadn’t realized. We’ve spoken to Cherry Jones and Leslie Bibb and Hannah [Einbinder], Kaitlyn Olson and Lauren Weedman and so many people. Christopher McDonald. Some people haven’t picked up, some people are on flights, but we’re going through the list and talking to everybody we can — our editors, composer, cinematographer.

Aniello: Our executives, who we love and made this show possible.

Downs: Jen, because we’re not together!

What was it like to hear that “Hacks” is the most-nominated season of a comedy in Emmys history?

Aniello: Gotta cancel therapy this week, I guess! I’m just kidding, I need to go.

Downs: It’s so overwhelming and we feel so grateful that the show has connected with people the way that it has. But because this is our final season and it’s our last time in this Emmys conversation, the thing that’s most exciting about all those nominations is the people that have made it possible. Many of them are being recognized for the very first time, and it’s so gratifying to us that there are so many talented people that are being acknowledged for the work that they have done that’s made the show what it is. We would not have been able to do this show for five seasons, or tell the final chapter the way we did, if we didn’t have the people that poured themselves into it and put so much love into the show. That record, to us, also represents all these amazing people that have been so hard to say goodbye to. This makes it a little bit easier. It’s a very nice way to say goodbye.

Aniello: It is an acknowledgement of that community that made the show, is the truth. That’s what it means to us.

It’s remarkable that so many of your supporting contenders landed nominations, like Laurie Metcalf, who appeared in one scene but made such an impression.

Statsky: It’s such a gift to get to write and direct and create for these incredible actors. Acting is a career that can be so hard, so to see people recognized when they do amazing work is so special because it was just such an honor to write for them. It was an honor to write them parts. That would have been enough, but this is such a cherry on top. It feels so lovely.

Aniello: It’s a true Cherry Jones on top!

Season 5 of “Hacks” highlights Los Angeles in a major way. What does it mean to you to film locally? How are you taking that with you as you move on to other projects?

Downs: It’s sad to say that we feel lucky. We were able to shoot almost the entire series in Los Angeles with largely the same Los Angeles crew. We do obviously shoot exteriors in Las Vegas, but for the most part, we were able to shoot in our city — the place where film and television gets made. As we move forward, we want to be dedicated to continuing to do that, but it’s also not lost on us how difficult that can be for people. We feel really lucky that we were allowed to do it. We were supported in our want to do it. It’s a city we love very much and that we love telling stories about.

Have you seen Meg Stalter — now a first-time Emmy nominee — in “Oh, Mary!” on Broadway yet?

Statsky: I did. I went to opening night Monday and she’s unbelievable. It is a role that is so perfect for Meg and she makes it so much her own. It was just phenomenal. Jean [Smart] and I went and it was so wonderful to get to support her.

Downs: I’m going Aug. 4!

Paul, how did Meg react to her nomination? Did you have your usual Jimmy-Kayla banter?

Downs: It was very Jimmy and Kayla. I FaceTimed her; she didn’t pick up. When she FaceTimed me back she said, “Are you pranking me? Babe, I’m shaking right now!” It was so funny because she said, “No wonder my phone’s been blowing up!” She was watching some reality show! I was like, “Kayla, you’ve been nominated for an Emmy, pick up the phone!” She seemed overwhelmed. Really touched and shocked. She was not expecting it. She didn’t know that it was happening today — she’s on Broadway!

You’ve said that you’ve always had the ending of “Hacks” mapped out. But with COVID, the strikes and other instability in the entertainment industry, you never actually know if you’ll get to finish your show until it’s over. As you reflect on the final season, how does it feel to know you were able to accomplish what you set out to do?

Downs: Thank you for saying that!

Aniello: It genuinely feels like a miracle.

Downs: So scary!

Aniello: There’s so many crazy things that we’ve talked about, and also a lot of things we haven’t really talked about — which I’m not going to right now necessarily. But it’s been so touch-and-go on that show in a million different ways, a million different times. So to actually get to finish the way that we originally envisioned and pitched in 2019 — we’re sitting here seven years later, getting to be like, “Oh yeah, that pitch document, we went around town, we actually got to go and do it the way we wanted!”

Downs: It’s not lost on us how special it is.

Aniello: To have these nominations today, the most we’ve ever had, it’s not about us. It’s about the show and the people who make it who’ve helped us make our dreams come true. That’s what today has been about for us. It’s about our community that came together to make this comedy. We are writers by trade, yet I don’t think we could ever quite put into words how special and meaningful it has been for us.

Do you have any update on the show you’ve all been working on after “Hacks”?

Statsky: We can’t say too much, but the three of us are working on a show that we are writing. We are very excited to make it and continue our partnership with HBO and all the wonderful people who work there.

Downs: They’ll shut the Zoom right down, you know what I mean, if we’re too [revealing].

Statsky: And Warner Bros., who have been amazing partners to us.

Downs: We’re still working together!

Statsky: We’re not getting divorced, marital or professional!

Aniello: Much like “Hacks,” the show has made our work — and each other — better because of it.

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Congratulations on your first Emmy nomination.

It’s my first Emmy nomination, and I’ve learned, actually through Variety, through Clayton [Davis], that this is the first time an Iranian or a Middle Eastern woman has been recognized in this category. My brain is — I feel like it’s going to fall off.

How are you feeling? Are there words to describe it?

Not really. It’s kind of trickling in. I feel like I’ve taken some sort of drug, and I’m like, “Am I feeling it? Am I not feeling it? What’s happening now?”

What were you doing when you found out you got nominated?

Well, I just got back into the country after a couple weeks abroad yesterday, so I have raging jet lag. I woke up at 3 a.m., and I’m like, “I cannot be thinking about nominations for the next five hours.” So I did a meditation. I worked out. My parents are here with me, so we hung out this morning. It was super chill. Then we started watching the live broadcast, and then my team started blowing me up, and I kept declining their call, because I was like, “We’re watching the broadcast. What are you doing?” And then they kept calling, so I finally picked up, and they’re like, “Congratulations!” I’m like, “What do you mean? What’s happening?” 

You don’t know me very well, but this is what happens with me. I’m often the last person to really understand. Everybody was blowing up my phone. I’m like, “What do you mean, guys? We’re watching it. It’s a big live stream now.” And then I realized that it was posted online, and so it was kind of discombobulating, the way I learned about the news. But nonetheless, I was elated. And speaking to my family around the world and having my parents here, it’s incredible. It’s incredible. I can’t believe it.

It’s so special that your parents are there. How are you guys going to celebrate together? Are you going to do anything crazy?

We’re pretty boring. I think I might force them to go out somewhere. My mom’s kind of a homebody, but we got to go out. We got to run around the block.

You got to do your victory lap.

Exactly. We got to run at least down the block. Maybe we’ll go to dinner or something.

Is “The Pitt” already filming Season 3?

Yes. So, this season is kind of different. Everybody’s entering at a different time. Certain characters are entering throughout the first few episodes, so they’ve already been filming, and I join them tomorrow. And I couldn’t be more excited. It’s incredible, because so many people from “The Pitt” — the cast, the crew — have received so many nominations.

What does it mean to see everyone recognized together? 

I mean, it is incredible. It is incredible, and it doesn’t stop there. It’s not just those people who got recognized by the Academy, though I’m so grateful that we are being recognized by the Academy. But Noah [Wyle] said it before, lots of people have said it before: The show is a living, breathing ecosystem. It can’t work without every single person, similar to a hospital. It’s not about the individuals who are being recognized. It really is a whole collective effort to make this thing come to life, and everybody is so brilliant in their roles. I’m just so happy for people like Kirsten [Pierre-Geyfma] and Val [Valerie Chu], our writers, and for Noah as a director to be recognized, and obviously across the guests and supporting and lead categories. It feels warm and fuzzy and lovely, and this is an excuse for us to all celebrate this incredible work we do as a collective, as a community. I’m just so proud of all of us. 

I joined in the second season, and I was a little intimidated to enter a space where they’ve already created something that’s working and flowing so beautifully, but it’s kind of a reflection of life. We meet different people at different points in our lives, and sometimes we’re resistant to change. But ultimately, I think the addition of this character strengthens me and strengthens the hospital, and I’m excited to explore more of that in the third season, to see the ways that [Dr. Al-Hashimi has] had an effect on the staff, her students, the patients, the hospital, the way that it runs. I’m excited for this character, and I’m just so lucky that I get to be part of this.

Dr. Al-Hashimi really resonated with viewers this last season. What has made playing her and being part of ‘The Pitt’ such a special experience for you?

Oh gosh, we’d be on the phone for like three days [if I answered that]. I think it’s just having the opportunity to embody this woman who — she’s like a freak genius, OK? She carries these different worlds inside that reflect some of the worlds I’ve had access to growing up. Feeling like an outsider. She’s a mixed-race woman; I’m Iranian. And she was an immigrant; my family were refugees. It’s a similar experience, growing up somewhere that you don’t necessarily feel home.

And she’s navigating this health condition. I was so overwhelmed to hear from many, many people navigating health conditions and various diseases and disabilities, and how they saw themselves reflected in her, and how that’s not really explored too much in television. For women across medicine, the overwhelming response I was getting was that it was refreshing, if not cathartic, to see this woman who deals with the similar struggles they deal with, who sees the ways that the system is not catering to her. There are so many different aspects of this character that struck a chord with various communities.

And then it’s just great storytelling on top of that. It’s dramatic, compelling storytelling, aside from any identity she carries. Before anything else, people appreciate and enjoy the drama, and it’s a breath of fresh air to see people who look like real people, who tell real stories. It’s this beautiful cocktail that creates the magic of ‘The Pitt.’

What does it mean to you to be the first Iranian or Middle Eastern woman to be recognized in this category?

Oh my god, I’m going to start crying. I can’t express what — it’s just, it’s really not about me in this moment. It’s the way it can empower so many other people to see a path paved. And not that it’s about awards either, but about empowering you to believe in yourself, whether it’s going into medicine, or it’s believing that you are more than the discrimination that you’ve dealt with. This character inspires me and empowers me, and I think seeing an Iranian or Middle Eastern woman be recognized for their work in a show like this, in a moment like this, inspires hope. Hopefully it encourages people to live fearlessly and do what they want to do. It’s incredibly powerful to be able to hold this torch for everyone else that will follow.

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series

How are you feeling following your nomination?

I was woken up from an after-lunch doze to be told, so I’m thrilled. It’s just great. I’m very proud of the show. I’m glad that the show’s got nominations, and Gary [Oldman] and Jack [Lowden] also. So I’m feeling good. It’s a really nice feeling.

Have you spoken to either of them yet about the nominations?

They’re both on set. I was down on set a week ago to do some recording and said hello to Gary, but I’ve not talked to them since the nominations. But I’m really glad for them. I think both their performances are excellent. Jack, I’ve loved working with him, loved being his grandfather for the past few years, so I’m very happy for him.

Which other nominated shows are you excited about?

I only know those “Slow Horses” nominations. I have no time to look at the full lists, but did “The Pitt” get a hundred nominations?

It did, in fact, get quite a few.

That’s absolutely my favorite show that’s on TV at the moment. It’s extraordinary, and all the acting and direction is pretty sensational. I’m glad they’ve got multi-nominations.

Are there any other shows that you would hope to guest star on or to work with someone from in the future.

“Love Island.” No, I don’t know. At the moment, all I can think about is “Slow Horses,” so that’s great. I just finished filming a four-part series for ITV here, a show called “Mavis Eccleston,” which is a true life story about an event that happened in the Midlands of England eight years ago. An elderly couple in the early 80s, he had terminal cancer, and they had a suicide pact. He died, she didn’t, and she was tried for his murder then found not guilty. So that’s what I’ve just finished doing, and I’ve had a wonderful time doing it. It’s a really, really great script, and Penelope Wilton played my wife. So that’s the only two things I’m thinking about.

How did it feel to take on such heavy material? 

It’s all to do with my age. That’s all we have to think about, is illness and death. Those are the roles they’re writing for people my age. I suppose I would like to do more work where there wasn’t a certain kind of affliction. Ted Danson’s show [“A Man on the Inside”] — Ted is roughly the same age as me — that’s a good image of the older character. Someone who’s fun, who’s bright, who has a contribution to make. Maybe more roles like that. Maybe I’ll go and guest star on Ted’s show and become an inmate in the home somewhere.

How are you going to celebrate your nomination?

I’m going to have a swim. I’m on vacation, so I won’t be thinking about much else. I’m just absolutely thrilled about the nomination. It’s especially these in particular — the Emmys and the SAGs — they’re nominated by your peers, so that’s really touching after all these years.

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series

What does it feel like to be nominated for an Emmy almost 10 years after your first Emmy nod for “Big Little Lies?”

It’s so exciting. I’m sure that’s what you’re hearing from everyone, but it really is just so exciting. I love what I do so much, and not that awards are the reason for what I do, but I don’t know how I couldn’t feel like a little girl in this moment. I grew up watching the Emmys, and it’s just really exciting and an honor to be included.

What were you doing when you heard about the nomination?

I was with two girlfriends. One of them was getting her lashes lifted, which I have never done in my life, and she asked if I wanted to do it. I was like, ‘How long does it take?’ and the lady was like, ‘It takes 20 minutes.’ Anyway, I ended up being on a bed with my eyes shut for an hour and a half, and my other girlfriend was like, ‘Your phone is blowing up.’ So I found out with my eyes shut and had some blind FaceTimes with some friends, which was really lovely.

One of your next projects is “Count My Lies.” Have you wrapped filming on that?

We finished last week, and I’m very, very excited about it. I had a lot of fun building the character and working with the cast and the crew and the producers of that show, and I’m very excited for people to see it. It’s very different than “Paradise.”

Do you think there’s any way that your character Annie could return to “Paradise” in flashbacks in the next season? 

I’m always gunning for her to return. I’m not sure the actual likelihood of that, but I keep pitching it to Dan Fogelman in hope. 

A third season of “Big Little Lies” is in the works. After the way Season 2 ended for your character, what are you hoping to see in the next season?

I’m curious to see what Jane and Ziggy’s (Iain Armitage) relationship has evolved into, because they had such a tight relationship and a dependency on one another, and he was obviously so young in the last two seasons. And the kids are not children anymore; they’re young adults. I’m very curious to see how those relationships unfold.

Were there any other nominations this morning that you’re particularly excited about?

I’m very excited to hear about the recognition of the show “Beef,” and the cast included. There’s a lot of great television right now. It’s fun to see. I feel honored to be a part of it, and it’s fun to see the shows that I personally am a fan of, the actors that I’m a fan of, be nominated. I’m excited and giddy to be in a room with them.