Shailene Woodley and Ernest Harden Jr. Score 2026 Emmy Guest Acting in a Drama Series Wins
The second night of the Creative Arts Emmys took over downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, with several trophies, including best guest acting in a drama series, handed out over the course of the night.
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Shailene Woodley took home the prize for guest actress in a drama series early in the evening for her role in Paradise. The actress’ win officially earned the show its first Emmy Award. It’s up for several awards at the Sept. 14 Primetime Emmys ceremony, including Sterling K. Brown for lead actor in a drama series, Julianne Nicholson for supporting actress in a drama series and best drama series.
The actress, who took the stage in a white mini-dress, immediately called out to her mother in the crowd, saying how “cool” it was that she’d won. Woodley told the crowd how grateful she is to be able to do art for a living. “Thank god for artists,” she said to wrap up her brief speech.
“I’m just a big Dan Fogelman fan and a big Sterling [K. Brown] fan,” she told press after her win. The actress said her time on the show feels like a “real highlight” of her career thus far and that reality hasn’t yet set in. She added, “Everyday that I get to work feels like a blessing, so the whole Paradise journey, from beginning to end, has been the gift that continues to give.”
Ernest Harden Jr. took home the award for best guest actor in a drama series for his role on The Pitt. The actor took the stage in tears, met with a big cheer from the crowd. He also shouted out The Pitt’s Noah Wylie, calling him “his brother from another mother.”
The actor, who’s been working in the industry for decades, told press backstage that he wasn’t totally surprised because The Pitt’s “such a powerful show” but that it’s unreal to still get it. He joked that he’d watched himself slowly creep up the Emmy predications list.
The Creative Arts Emmys take place over two days, usually a week ahead of the Primetime Emmys show. This year, the typically below-the-line-centric portion of the awards, featured five categories that were previously given out during the Primetime ceremony. Among those were best supporting actor and actress in a limited or anthology series. Sunday’s awards were not televised live. Instead, Saturday and Sunday’s awards ceremony will air together on Saturday, Sept. 12. The 78th Emmy Awards, hosted by Mariska Hargitay, will air live on NBC on Sept. 14.
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