The First-Timers Club: ‘The Bear’s’ Liza Colon-Zayas, ‘Shogun’ Star Tadanobu Asano on Emmy Recognition
Jessica Gunning
Martha in Baby Reindeer (Netflix)
When did you realize your show was something special? I remember when the show had been out for a few days and [I was] really seeing things pick up steam over in the U.K., and then Richard [Gadd, the creator] and I came over to L.A. maybe a month [after the launch], and that was surreal — it started to sink in a little bit then that it had reached American viewers, which was just crazy to us. I’m so proud of it, but I definitely thought it might have been a slower burn, a British indie, niche thing. “Oh, Baby Reindeer? Is it a Christmas thing?” (Laughs.) What performance blew you away this season? I have to say — and he’s going to be up against Mr. Richard Gadd — that Andrew Scott in Ripley was one of the best things I’ve seen in a very long time. I’m also a big fan of all the comedies, especially Hacks.
More from The Hollywood Reporter
Steven Zeitchik Joins The Hollywood Reporter as Senior Awards Editor
Grammys CEO Reminds Members to Vote With Purpose: "Just Listen to the Music and Evaluate It"
Lamorne Morris
Deputy Witt Farr in Fargo (FX)
Did you have any sense you might be nominated? I was very confident in my performance on the show — confident in everyone’s performance. To me, it was a tossup. I thought obviously Jon [Hamm] and Juno [Temple] [would be nominated], since they were making waves earlier in awards season. That’s why when I say I was in shock, I mean, I was in total, total shock. What shows, besides Fargo, are you rooting for? Shogun — I’m obsessed with that show. It makes me wish I was born in different times just to witness some of the things that happened over there. And 3 Body Problem — some of the actors on that show are some of my favorite people.
Liza Colón-Zayas
Tina Marrero in The Bear (Hulu)
What was the moment you realized you might get this nomination? I did not expect to get nominated. Honestly. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined being nominated in the same category as Carol Burnett and Meryl Streep. What shows, besides your own, are you rooting for? All the shows with Latino artists! Right now I’m rooting for True Detective: Night Country, What We Do in the Shadows, Capote vs. The Swans and Fargo.
Tadanobu Asano
Kashigi Yabushige in Shogun (FX)
What was the moment you realized your show was something special? When I saw the reaction to the series and how well received it was by the public, both domestically and internationally. What performance blew you away this season? Anna Sawai’s portrayal of Mariko, especially in episode nine of the show. If you’ve seen the show, then you know why I hate my character in those final two episodes.
Lewis Pullman
Calvin Evans in Lessons in Chemistry (Apple tv+)
What are you expecting for the coming months leading up to the Emmys? Are you good at shaking hands and kissing babies? I love shaking hands and kissing babies. I don’t have many expectations other than to meet as many people as I can. I’m scrolling through this list [of nominees] here and it’s all people who I respect so highly, so it’ll be exciting to get to meet them and hopefully learn a couple of things here or there. Is there a performance you’re most enamored with this season? I thought Andrew Scott and Jon Hamm were phenomenal. Matt Bomer. God, Richard Gadd and Tom Hollander. It’s like Cadillac problems right there. I don’t know how all that’s going to go down — there are some gladiators in the ring. I think the whole team from The Bear is so phenomenal and Ebon [Moss-Bachrach] is somebody I’ve always been a fan of. Walton Goggins is another favorite, I’ve worked with him and am always rooting for him.
Nikki Glaser
Nikki Glaser: Someday You’ll Die (HBO)
When did you realize you might be Emmy-nominated this year? [The Greatest Roast of All Time: Tom Brady] was such a big moment for me and my life changed overnight in terms of recognizability. It wasn’t intentional that the roast was going to give my special a boost. It all just happened that my special came out the same week as the roast, but I just felt like I was having a moment, so I felt like, “Oh, this could actually happen.” When I was making the special, I just knew it was going to be nominated for an Emmy. I really don’t ever know things or actually feel like I deserve anything, but in my mind, there was some kind of assuredness that this was up to the level that it should be to be in this category and nominated among these icons and titans of the business. Any performances you’re rooting for? Juno Temple from Fargo.
Kristen Kish
Top Chef (Bravo)
How did it feel receiving your first Emmy nomination? I’ve been in the TV business in some way for a handful of years. Top Chef was my very first time competing, over a decade ago. I don’t know if I’ve fully caught up with this idea of me in television as a career. If someone asks me what I do, I say I’m a chef. I don’t say I’m a TV host, even though I do do that.
Nava Mau
Teri in Baby Reindeer (Netflix)
When did you realize your show was something special? I was sick in bed when the show came out. I could see that there were a lot of people online talking about the show. The first time I left my house was to go to my college reunion. I was blown away that people were so excited, and they wanted to express their connection to it. The next week, we were on a panel in a packed theater of people just roaring in applause. The scale of it has been something that I’m constantly adjusting to. Who has been the most surprising Baby Reindeer fan? It was surreal to see Cardi B on her Instagram Live talking about the show. I happened to be on Instagram, and I got the notification: “Cardi B’s going live.” I’ve never watched Instagram Live. For some reason, I tuned in, and there she is talking about the show. She was talking about the silence in our culture around male survivors of sexual abuse. That is cultural impact.
This story first appeared in the July 31 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
Best of The Hollywood Reporter