Ahead of TV’s Biggest Night, Stars Gathered for the HBO Max Emmy Nominee Celebration Luncheon

This year, Colman Domingo is nominated for two Emmys for two very different performances—Netflix comedy, The Four Seasons, and his turn in the final season of Euphoria. “It’s been a year where I didn’t think it could get better and it just keeps on getting better,” the Ralph Lauren-clad actor told Vogue. “I would probably attest this to the many seeds I’ve planted in my whole career. Suddenly I have a garden that’s in bloom. I’m doing all the things that I want to do and doing things that I can give something to. It feels joyful.”

Domingo returned to Euphoria as Ali, a man in long-term recovery who has spent the series trying to help a drug-addicted teen (Zendaya) stay alive. Having already won an Emmy for the role in 2022, he humbly added, “I’m taking it all in. I’ve always had a tremendous imagination, but I didn’t dream this big in terms of getting awards and nominations. I just wanted to do good work and hope that my work gets amplified and seen in whatever way that is.”

Like Domingo, beloved Hacks star Paul W. Downs is also nominated in the supporting actor in a comedy series. “It’s overwhelming being recognized for acting,” said Downs, who is also co-creator, co-showrunner, and writer on the show. “I started writing because I’m a writer-performer, so to be nominated as an actor and being recognized for my face and body has really meant the most to me. It’s been really special.”

Hacks broke Emmy records by receiving 24 nominations for its fifth and final season—the most ever racked up by a comedy series in a single year. The buzz was perhaps helped by Downs and co-star Megan Stalter, who’ve been having fun with their viral promotional appearances. “We do like having a bit and we do like coordinating. We have become a comedy duo and we just can’t quit each other,” Downs laughed. “So we are going to do something [at the Emmys]. It’s our swan song so we have got to go out with a showstopper.”

As for The Pitt, it racked up a whopping 25 nominations for season two, leading the pack in the drama category and overall. Thirteen of the nominations went to its actors, including Sepideh Moafi, who has made Emmy history: she is the first Iranian woman, as well as a woman from the Middle East, to be recognized in the supporting actress in a drama series category. “It melts my brain a bit and it’s an enormous honor,” said Moafi. “This means more to the women from my region in entertainment, media, and culture who are often pushed to the side and often stereotyped in ways that we are either the victim or the villain. To play a character like Dr. Al-Hashimi, who is multifaceted, rich with interiority, full of contradictions, and embodies this bad ass leadership style and leads with intellect and compassion; it’s such a flame of hope.”

Moafi, who was born in a refugee camp, is still in “disbelief” about her first-ever Emmy nod. “I pinch myself all the time. It’s surreal to think my parents were refugees and that my mom was ten years younger than I am. She had to sacrifice everything and start from scratch,” she said.

The Pitt’s Patrick Ball, who is nominated for best supporting actor, has talked about spending more than a decade trying to break into the industry. And just one night previous, he won his very first accolade at the Astra TV Awards. “That was the first individual honor that I have gotten since I was named, ‘Most Likely to be Late to Graduation’ in high school. And I don’t even know if you can call that an honor,” he laughed. “I was a complete screw-up in high school and I didn’t win anything. The Emmy nomination is really the first time I’ve been singled out as an actor in my life and it’s an incredible honor.”

Ball is up against his co-star Shawn Hatosy, who features as the fan-favorite emergency room physician Dr. Jack Abbot, and Welsh actor Gerran Howell, who plays sympathetic medical student Dr. Dennis Whitaker. “Drinks are on the winner, absolutely,” Howell said, laughing off any notion of intense competition. “I think that’s fair. We’ll let them win and hold it against them!”

As for Noah Wyle, who has already taken home two Emmys for The Pitt, he shared some helpful tips to his castmates ahead of September 14: “I recommend beta blockers…no, I’ve actually never taken a beta blocker before, although I hear they are wonderful! But really, have a great time. Enjoy it. It’s wonderful recognition of your work. It’s a moment in time that should be enjoyed cause these moments are very fleeting, and when you recognize how fleeting they can be over a 30-year career, it makes you want to scream. Be present for it. It’s very special.”

Katherine LaNasa, who also won last year in the best supporting actress category, added: “Even if you don’t think you’re going to win, I would say write a speech because it’s always good to be prepared. For me, I get anxiety when I’m not prepared. You get up there on stage and it’s blinding, it’s overwhelming, there’s so much energy and you’re so excited. I remember talking and left out people and trying to remember it all. It’s a trip! There’s no other feeling like it.”