Reactions from select nominees for the 2023 Emmy Awards.
SHERYL LEE RALPH
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“I am a puddle of emotions! It is just absolutely crazy. It, I mean, I am living one spectacular year. ... In all honesty, it could never ever be about me trying to beat that moment (of last year's ceremony, when Ralph won her Emmy and stole the show, singing much of her speech). Maybe they'll ask me to host it! That moment was something. as all of my friends say that’s something you worked for Sheryl. That’s something you waited for and you received the gift, now, just sit back and be lovely and I’m gonna just sit back and be lovely! And so thankful to everybody who thought that it should be me ... for me to be in a space where that is happening for me after all of these years, I’m just so happy. I am SO happy.” — Ralph, who's nominated for best supporting actress in a comedy for ABC's “Abbott Elementary."
JESSICA CHASTAIN
“It's incredible ... the thing that was the most shocking in the journey is that when Mike Shannon came on, he was pretty adamant that we sing live, and he’s someone who’s in a band. He’s used to things like that. .... he really wanted it to be as authentic as possible, which I appreciate. But it also meant that I was absolutely out of my comfort zone. And 95% of what we have in the show was done on set in the shot that you’re seeing it, it was done live in front of audiences. So that, that is unlike anything I’ve done before, that’s scarier ... that’s me way, way, way doing something I just never thought I could even mentally be capable of.” — Chastain, nominated for best actress in a limited or anthology series or movie — her first Emmy nod — for “George & Tammy.”
SARAH SNOOK
“I knew the news was coming (overnight, in Australia) but I decided to wait until my (baby) daughter woke me up. And at 4 a.m. I rolled over and checked my text messages and yeah, a bunch of stuff was coming in from the States, very exciting! ... Having the show finish up and getting a nomination and also so many for the cast and crew and everybody involved is so special. It feels like a real sense of closure. It’s sad that we don’t get the opportunity to continue it, but it’s also such a nod to how great it was when it was going. ... I have had fans come up and say, 'Oh, you've really inspired me (as her character, Shiv Roy) or, ‘My daughter really looks up to you,’ and there’s a part of me that wants to say, ‘I hope the good bits! You know, not the repressed anger or the conniving, Machiavellian bits!’” — Snook, nominated for best actress in a drama for “Succession.”
TARAJI P. HENSON
“About 30 years ago, I moved out here because I thought I would land a huge sitcom. And quite to the contrary, I booked ‘Baby Boy’ and it was drama after drama. What I came out here to do is comedy. I wanted to be a comedic actress. I guess what’s different about this nomination is getting nominated for what I actually came out to Hollywood to do.” — Henson, nominated for best guest actress in a comedy series for “Abbott Elementary.”
RILEY KEOUGH
“I hope I made them proud. I’m sure I do. I hope that I continue to make them proud." — Keough, the daughter of the late Lisa Marie Presley and eldest grandchild of the late Elvis Presley, who's nominated for best actress in a limited or anthology series or movie for her role in Amazon’s “Daisy Jones & The Six.”
NIECY NASH-BETTS
“You never know. This industry can be very fickle. You just don’t know. I knew that I was proud of my work. I didn’t know people were going to rally in support of it this way. What I am is grateful." — Nash-Betts, nominated for best supporting actress in a limited or anthology series or movie for her role as Glenda Cleveland in the Netflix series “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.”
LORENE SCAFARIA
“They really stuck the landing. It’s just such an extraordinary achievement to leave the characters in such a satisfying way and yet so brutal and so telling and so tragic — it's a tragedy, at its heart. It's very hard to make a show that sticks the landing, let alone resonates with people and becomes part of the zeitgeist. It’s just honestly lightning-in-a-bottle casting, and its (creator and showrunner) Jesse Armstrong leading from a place that’s so collaborative and gives people a lot of freedom ... but has a vision the entire time." — Scafaria, nominated for directing the “Sucession” episode “Living+."
JAMES MARSDEN
“I really wasn't anticipating this kind of love, or even the nomination. I know everybody says that, but I really wasn't. I just yelled as loud as I could. I think I levitated off the couch a few feet. It was pretty, pretty exciting. (This show) has just been a constant stream of surprises. It's just a testament to what we pulled off." — Marsden, nominated for best supporting actor in a comedy for ”Jury Duty."
ALLEN HUGHES
“I’m happy that Afeni’s story that was lost in history is getting recognized. She had a meaningful narrative that never gets talked about. Both of their contributions are important to our culture, but particularly hers.” — Hughes, director, on his two nominations for the FX docuseries “Dear Mama: The Saga of Afeni and Tupac Shakur.”
NATHAN LANE
“No, it doesn’t get old! In this day and age with the enormous amount of really great television, to be included in such wonderful company is incredibly gratifying and I feel very happy and lucky. ... As a character actor of a certain age, it’s nice to still get invited to the party. (Working on “Only Murders in the Building”) is about, “Let’s have a good time. Let’s do our work and do it to the best of our ability, but also it really is about enjoying it, having fun with one another. It’s just a wonderful atmosphere and, and you feel very supported and free to try things. — Lane, on his eighth Emmy nomination (including a win last year), for guest actor in a comedy series for ”Only Murders in the Building.”