Shailene Woodley Wins First Emmy for Paradise Guest Role; Harden Jr. Also Victorious

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Shailene Woodley has picked up her first Emmy Award, winning the guest actress in a drama series prize for her role as Annie in Hulu's post-apocalyptic drama Paradise, at the second night of the Creative Arts Emmys held at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday. Her win marked the first Emmy of any kind for the Dan Fogelman-created series, which goes into next Sunday's Primetime ceremony with several further nominations, including best drama series, lead actor for Sterling K. Brown and supporting actress for Julianne Nicholson. In the equivalent guest actor category, Ernest Harden Jr took the trophy for his appearance on medical drama The Pitt.

Accepting her award on stage in a white mini-dress, Woodley addressed her mother directly in the audience, telling her how thrilling the moment felt, before thanking the wider community of performers and describing her gratitude at being able to make a living through art. Speaking to reporters afterwards, she described herself as a devoted admirer of both Fogelman and her co-star Brown, and called her time on Paradise one of the standout experiences of her career so far, saying the sense of reward from the project had never let up. She also reflected on her character Annie, a former Graceland tour guide whose storyline concluded in one of the season's most affecting episodes, noting that she had come away admiring the character's patience and calm, internally-driven sense of self-worth. It was Woodley's second Emmy nomination overall, having previously been recognised in 2017 for HBO's Big Little Lies, and she saw off competition that included three of her fellow guest nominees from The Pitt as well as performers from Pluribus and The Gilded Age.

Ernest Harden Jr, a veteran of the industry for several decades, was visibly emotional as he collected his award, drawing a warm reception from the room and using his moment on stage to pay tribute to The Pitt co-star Noah Wylie, whom he described in strikingly personal terms. Speaking to press afterwards, he admitted he was not entirely taken aback by the result given the strength of the show, but said the experience of actually winning still felt remarkable, adding wryly that he had watched his own name climb steadily up predictions lists in the run-up to the ceremony.

The pair's wins came amid a night dominated elsewhere by other titles: Apple TV's Widow's Bay topped the evening with eight awards, including a guest comedy actress prize for Betty Gilpin, as part of a wider haul of 18 wins for Apple TV across the night. HBO Max's DTF St Louis collected six awards, among them first-ever Emmy wins for David Harbour and Linda Cardellini in the limited-series supporting acting categories, while Prime Video's Spider-Noir picked up five technical awards only days after its cancellation was announced. Rob Reiner was honoured posthumously for a guest turn on The Bear, and I Love Lucy received the ceremony's Legacy Award. This year's Creative Arts Emmys, spread across two nights, absorbed several major acting categories — including the limited-series supporting prizes — that had previously featured on the main Primetime broadcast. Neither night was shown live; both will be broadcast together on 12 September, ahead of the Primetime Emmys airing live on NBC on 14 September, hosted by Mariska Hargitay.

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