- 7 months ago
They’ve shocked us, challenged our moral compass, and helped define this year’s boldest moments in TV. In this Emmy’s spotlight, Entertainment Weekly's Editorial Director and Awardist Host Gerrad Hall sits down with Marisa Abela (Industry), Bradley Whitford (The Handmaid’s Tale), Aimee Lou Wood (The White Lotus), Tramell Tillman (Severance), Sharon Horgan (Bad Sisters), and Anthony Starr (The Boys) for a candid roundtable on life inside TV’s most dramatic shows!
From wild fan theories to spoiler paranoia and filming fake endings, these stars open up about the impact of their roles, the challenges of keeping secrets on set, and the surprising ways their characters influenced how they text, think, and even move through the world.
The 77th Primetime Emmy Awards will be broadcast live on Sunday, September 14, 2025, at 8/7c on CBS.
From wild fan theories to spoiler paranoia and filming fake endings, these stars open up about the impact of their roles, the challenges of keeping secrets on set, and the surprising ways their characters influenced how they text, think, and even move through the world.
The 77th Primetime Emmy Awards will be broadcast live on Sunday, September 14, 2025, at 8/7c on CBS.
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PeopleTranscript
00:00It's so hard to keep it a secret.
00:02It was so hard.
00:03It was so hard, and people coming over and saying,
00:05is it you? Is it you?
00:06And you're going, oh, yeah.
00:07You want to just go, yeah.
00:09You end up just wanting to be like, I die. It's me.
00:12Nice to meet you.
00:14Hi. How are you?
00:15I'm good. Great.
00:16Come on. Great to be here.
00:17Likewise.
00:20I'm Entertainment Weekly editorial director
00:22and awardist host, Jared Hall.
00:24They shock us, they make us question humanity,
00:27they push moral boundaries,
00:28and in some cases,
00:30they commit some unspeakable crimes,
00:32and now they're here with us
00:33to turn up the drama on award season.
00:36Industries' Marisa Abella,
00:38The Handmaid's Tale star Bradley Whitford,
00:40from The White Lotus, Amy Lou Wood,
00:42Severance's Trammell Tillman,
00:44Bad Sister star Sharon Horgan,
00:46and from The Boys' Antony Starr.
00:48It has become, in this digital age,
00:50increasingly harder to maintain secrecy
00:54around what is going to happen.
00:56What are some of the wildest or weirdest fan theories
01:00that you've heard or read?
01:02Oh, the weirdest one for us was that people thought
01:05that a monkey got a hold of the gun
01:07and did the shootout.
01:09Because they were like,
01:10well, why would they keep cutting to the monkeys
01:12in the trees?
01:13A monkey?
01:13Oh, of course.
01:20Mike's a genius.
01:23Honestly.
01:23And then I think Michelle Monaghan
01:25just couldn't be bothered with that rumor,
01:27so she was like,
01:27that is absolutely not what happens.
01:29It's just not.
01:29Yeah.
01:30We had a fake ending on the call sheet.
01:32If we left our call sheet somewhere
01:33and someone then leaked the end,
01:35so we didn't have the real ending.
01:37And that was the monkey one.
01:39Yes, they went with that.
01:40That's how it got out.
01:41Yeah.
01:41There was a different person's death.
01:44And then I started to think,
01:45but what if Mike is actually filming both?
01:49And there was a little part of me
01:50when I was watching the last episode
01:51that was like,
01:51what if that was the real ending?
01:53We got all the,
01:54I didn't think we would get all the scripts.
01:55I thought there was going to be
01:56this kind of real top secret,
01:59kind of, you know,
02:00just giving us a bit at a time.
02:02But they just,
02:03all of a sudden,
02:03there was just eight episodes
02:04in my Gmail.
02:06And the pressure fell.
02:08It's like,
02:09I leave my Gmail logged in
02:10on me mate's computer and everything.
02:11And I'm like,
02:12I've got this sweat on.
02:13I'm like logging out of all devices
02:14because I'm thinking
02:15the most kind of,
02:17yeah,
02:18precious thing is in my inbox now.
02:20But yeah,
02:21we got sent them all at once.
02:22So much pressure.
02:22Of course it concerns me.
02:24Everything you do concerns me.
02:26I'm your life partner, Rick.
02:28When I worked on West Wing,
02:30we had shot a couple of times
02:31around the White House.
02:32And if I went to the White House,
02:34the Secret Service guys would go,
02:35oh, hey, you know,
02:36you can go through.
02:37And I had to drop a script off
02:38for Matthew Perry
02:39on the Friends stage.
02:41You just couldn't get in there.
02:43Like,
02:43they wouldn't take the script.
02:45You couldn't get in.
02:46Like, show business security
02:48always cracks me up.
02:51What is an episode
02:52or scene
02:53of your respective shows
02:55that each of you
02:56couldn't wait
02:57for viewers to see?
02:59The moment you ask that,
03:00I just,
03:01I get anxious
03:02because when a scene
03:04is going well,
03:05I'm worried
03:05it's not going to cut well.
03:07When scenes
03:08are really beautifully written,
03:11I had a scene
03:13that was actually
03:14strangely on Handmaid's Tale.
03:16I was directing,
03:18this was a year ago,
03:19but it was clearly
03:20a comic scene.
03:23And it was the most terrifying.
03:26I was in it,
03:27but it was terrifying
03:28because I knew
03:29it had to work
03:31and it just gave me anxiety.
03:33You need security.
03:35I need to represent
03:36traditional Gilead values.
03:38So you can move in here
03:40with the kid if you want.
03:43Nice to stay on your toes
03:44a little bit
03:45and have that little
03:46fire burning under of...
03:48Yeah, there's something in that.
03:50I like being on the edge of failure.
03:52There was an episode
03:53in which my character
03:55went back to the people
03:56that abused him
03:57in this lab.
03:59Superman goes back
04:00to the lab
04:00where he was raised
04:01and exercises demons.
04:04It's like a therapy session
04:05with lots of killing
04:06and all this.
04:06And I went to our boss, Eric,
04:10and said,
04:11okay, I think we can get more
04:13out of what's on the page
04:13and we workshopped it
04:15and then we went in to shoot it
04:17and I did the first take
04:19of one of these scenes
04:20and I had it in my head
04:22I'm going to laugh hysterically.
04:23Maniacally.
04:24And so I did it
04:25and there was like
04:27in front of the crew
04:28and everyone,
04:28there was crickets.
04:29And I was like,
04:30it's not going to work
04:31but I'm kind of,
04:33I really,
04:33I think it can.
04:34I really,
04:34I want it.
04:35I'm going to give it a shot.
04:36I did and there was silence
04:37the whole day
04:38and I didn't know
04:38if it had worked or not.
04:40But then when you saw
04:41the sequence come out
04:42and it was,
04:42it actually,
04:43it did hang together
04:44pretty well.
04:45It was the process though
04:46of being right on the edge
04:47of I don't know
04:48if this is going to work
04:48or not
04:49but that's to me
04:50the most rewarding place to be.
04:53Really right,
04:54like right in that
04:55it could go either way.
04:59Quirks or habits
05:00of your characters
05:01that have stuck with you?
05:03We introduce like
05:04a lot of Irish vernacular
05:06kind of things.
05:07So they,
05:08I mean,
05:08and I use them a bit
05:09in everyday life
05:10but they always stick with you
05:11a bit more
05:12at the end of filming.
05:13and you know,
05:15like every time
05:17I message my daughters
05:18I call them girlines
05:19because we would use girlines
05:21the sisters with you
05:22girlines in the show.
05:24More Irish swear words
05:25and call everyone a wagon.
05:29Swear to God,
05:30I've never wanted to kill
05:31that wagon more.
05:32What wagon did you want to kill?
05:35I love you talked about language
05:37because that's been a big draw
05:39for my character now.
05:40He's very driven
05:41and policed about
05:43his vernacular
05:44and so ever since
05:47I played this character
05:48now my vocabulary
05:49has expanded
05:50and I get mocked
05:52and teased
05:53about big words
05:54that I use
05:55just on everyday basis.
05:56Yeah, friends of mine
05:57I was like,
05:58oh, there's Tramell
05:59using those big words.
06:01I was like,
06:02guys,
06:03you must eradicate
06:04from your essence
06:05childish folly.
06:08But like,
06:09as a kid
06:09I used to love language.
06:10I used to,
06:11I used to have to do
06:12a word of the day.
06:13My father was very passionate
06:14about us
06:14expanding our vocabulary
06:16and that kind of died
06:18as I got older
06:19and this character
06:20came along
06:21and he had
06:22an extensive vocabulary
06:23and I was like,
06:24oh, I can
06:25love words again.
06:26Devour feculence.
06:32In television
06:33you get this
06:34long relationship
06:35with the character
06:36with an audience.
06:38You don't get that
06:39in a movie
06:41because the entire time
06:43you shoot a movie
06:44you're like,
06:44I don't know.
06:46This works.
06:46No idea.
06:48I don't know
06:49if you felt this
06:50like going into
06:51a second season
06:52where you almost
06:52aren't sure
06:53if you're
06:54doing it
06:56the right way
06:57because even though
06:57you've built up
06:58this comfortable
06:59relationship
07:00with your co-stars
07:01and you know
07:01your audience
07:02if there has been
07:04a nice reaction
07:05to your show
07:06and you slip back
07:07into it
07:08you don't even feel
07:09you feel like
07:10you're kind of
07:10mimicking it.
07:12Mimicking it.
07:13Exactly.
07:14And even though
07:15it's more comfortable
07:16in a lot of ways
07:17it takes a little while
07:18for you to just
07:19sort of relax
07:20enough to go.
07:20The difficult second album
07:21we did it okay
07:22the first time
07:23and we were praised for it.
07:25That's it.
07:25Now you've got to put
07:26your second album out.
07:27Yeah.
07:27And it's like
07:28touch or go
07:29whether it's going to work.
07:30Yeah.
07:30Everyone on this panel
07:32except for you
07:33Amy Plates
07:34are morally gray characters
07:36so I'm curious
07:37what each of you
07:38have found
07:38was like your way
07:39in to find
07:40the humanity
07:40and because for someone
07:41like Commander Lawrence
07:42sure he's a
07:43you know
07:43one of the architects
07:44of Gilead
07:45but we also
07:46saw some
07:47altruistic moves
07:48when he helps
07:48you know
07:49June get the baby
07:50into Canada
07:50so how do you
07:52find that?
07:53And out
07:53in the name of God
07:56how can you do
07:58those things
07:59and remain
07:59redeemable
08:02and it's an
08:03interesting
08:03part of the show
08:05to me
08:06that Lizzie's character
08:08is basically
08:09blowing on the
08:10spark of decency
08:11and it's a kind
08:13of hopeful message
08:14that I hope people
08:15are getting
08:16at this moment
08:18that comes
08:21from June's character
08:23which is
08:24despair is a luxury
08:26that our children
08:27cannot afford
08:28and action
08:29is the antidote
08:30to despair
08:30and she is
08:31doing that
08:33with everybody
08:34as a young actor
08:35I felt like
08:36I was trying
08:36to narrow it down
08:37to what a character
08:42was
08:42and with this guy
08:43I got to
08:43kind of open up
08:45the aperture
08:46which was
08:48interesting to me
08:51you know
08:52also ethically
08:54it was nerve wracking
08:57because he was
08:58disappointing often
08:59is that humanity
09:01a tough thing
09:02for you to find
09:03the tricky thing
09:04was keeping
09:05an audience
09:06on the sister's side
09:08you know
09:09when they keep
09:10trying to kill
09:10the same man
09:11I think someone's
09:12trying to kill him
09:13that's insane
09:16we weren't really
09:17worried about
09:18an audience
09:20forgiving them
09:22or getting on side
09:23or any of that
09:25it was more
09:25sort of in the
09:26second season
09:26when I sleep
09:28with my
09:29sister's husband
09:30I swear to god
09:32that got such a
09:33to me
09:34sort of surprising
09:35reaction
09:35because I always
09:37wanted to
09:37you know
09:38create a love story
09:40that people
09:41sort of despite
09:41themselves
09:42rooted for
09:43like that doesn't
09:44seem right
09:44but she's
09:45been alone
09:46for a long time
09:47and like maybe
09:47this is a good
09:48thing but
09:48people didn't
09:50like it
09:51at all
09:52so
09:52we had a bunch
09:55of guys
09:57we all kind of
09:58knocked them down
09:59a little bit
09:59on social media
10:00and said
10:00this guy is not
10:02the hero
10:02of any story
10:04that were really
10:05glorifying
10:06they loved him
10:06which is
10:08surreal
10:10but let's get
10:11one thing straight
10:11there's no team up
10:13we're not equals
10:14you're pathetic
10:16you can't even
10:19fly for god's sake
10:20what I didn't
10:21expect was
10:22that people
10:23would be so
10:24conflicted around
10:25it and you know
10:26finding themselves
10:26feeling empathy
10:27for this monster
10:28obviously you deal
10:30with like violence
10:30in your show
10:31but for these
10:32we do
10:33yeah
10:33for these people
10:35who don't usually
10:36I mean they're like
10:37they're bankers
10:38you know what I mean
10:39they don't usually
10:40deal in that language
10:41so to
10:42for me it's my
10:43favorite thing
10:44playing a person
10:45who is
10:46kind of
10:47doing something
10:48that is alien
10:49to them
10:49like doing something
10:50for the first time
10:51I love watching
10:52someone smack someone
10:53thinking like
10:54Yasmin's never
10:55smacked anyone before
10:56in the script
10:57it was that Yasmin
10:58slapped Harper
10:59and that Harper
11:00doesn't slap Yasmin back
11:02and my harlo rung me
11:04like two days before
11:05we filmed that scene
11:05and was like
11:06there's no way
11:07there's no way
11:08that you're gonna
11:09slap me
11:09that Harper
11:11would just
11:12smack you back
11:13of course
11:13and so we spoke
11:14to the writers
11:14about it
11:15and they were like
11:15yeah
11:15smack each other
11:17so
11:18I think it's really
11:20interesting to watch
11:20like two young women
11:22that are friends
11:22like
11:23and that love each other
11:24a lot
11:25get to a place
11:26where like violence
11:26is kind of the only
11:28thing left
11:29and they don't want
11:30to hurt each other
11:31but they do
11:31and I think you see
11:32in both of their eyes
11:33like
11:33I needed my friend
11:35today
11:36Harper
11:37I needed my friend
11:38and you used me
11:39I think people
11:40are more scared
11:41as well
11:41and therefore
11:42get more angry
11:43and reactive
11:44about things
11:44that feel more
11:45exposing to them
11:46and closer to them
11:47so like with the
11:48killing
11:48it's a safe distance
11:50so people watching
11:52can go
11:52go girlies
11:54get in
11:54they don't feel
11:55exposed by that
11:57because they might not
11:57have ever been
11:58plotting to kill
11:58so they probably
11:59haven't
12:00whereas like
12:01banging your brother-in-law
12:02close to home
12:03but like
12:04love
12:05you know
12:06and those kinds
12:06of things
12:07people are sat there
12:07going
12:07and it's
12:08it's almost more
12:09hotter
12:10no no no
12:12no I
12:13I
12:14that came out
12:15totally wrong
12:16did you say
12:16hotter
12:17I meant morally
12:18hotter
12:18oh yes
12:19oh yes
12:21come on
12:22what you mean
12:23in White Lotus
12:24people were more
12:25angry about
12:26Rick saying
12:26like shut up
12:27to Chelsea
12:28than they were
12:29about him
12:29killing a man
12:30and I think
12:31it's because
12:32it's that
12:33and a lot of
12:34guys watching it
12:35were really like
12:35this dude
12:37because
12:38they're like
12:39oh shit
12:39have I ever
12:40have I ever spoken
12:41to Matt
12:41you know
12:41it feels exposing
12:43so I think the things
12:44that people get
12:44really hot about
12:45really hot about
12:47because it's closer
12:48to them
12:49what do you think
12:50makes for
12:51a good ending
12:53well I never got more
12:56comments than on
12:57the last season
12:58of Catastrophe
12:58because we left
12:59it up to the audience
13:00to kind of write
13:01their own ending
13:02sometimes I think
13:03just give the people
13:04a happy ending
13:06or you know
13:07or like tie things up
13:09and but then
13:10it's I guess
13:12it's the unexpected
13:12isn't it
13:13it's like
13:13you think
13:15it's going one way
13:16and it kind of
13:17does go that way
13:18but in you know
13:19using a route
13:20that you didn't expect
13:22but also it's got
13:22to be true
13:23to the world
13:23of the show
13:24not the dictates
13:25of the fans
13:25yeah
13:26which I think
13:27that's a trap
13:28that people fall
13:28into worrying
13:29about trying
13:30to get it right
13:31by the way
13:31I know it's not
13:32the end
13:32of Severance
13:34but that
13:35as an ending
13:36to a season
13:37balanced
13:38that thing
13:38of expectation
13:39with curveballs
13:42in a really
13:43satisfying way
13:45yeah
13:45has Milchik
13:46started to turn
13:47against Lumen
13:48after the way
13:48the board treated him
13:49no I don't think so
13:50I don't think so
13:51I think there's more
13:52to mine
13:53in his story
13:54and especially
13:55in his journey
13:56I mean you know
13:57this man has committed
13:58so much of his time
13:59and his life
14:01to this corporation
14:02and why
14:03you know
14:04it's unclear
14:04you know
14:05I think it goes back
14:06to what you all
14:07were talking about
14:08when you speak
14:09about villains
14:09and the characters
14:11and whether or not
14:12you side with them
14:13or you don't
14:13or you understand
14:15their reasonings
14:15and right now
14:16we don't have
14:16the material
14:17of why Milchik
14:19does what he does
14:20but it's really fun
14:21to be able to step
14:22in these shoes
14:23and find some level
14:25of humanity in there
14:26and keep that going
14:27and I'm grateful
14:30that there's still
14:31that mass audience
14:34that have not decided
14:35who he is
14:36that's what's really fun
14:38what was your reaction
14:39when you learned
14:40about Milchik's
14:42extended choreography
14:44and merriment sequence
14:45in that finale
14:46so I was reticent
14:49about doing
14:50the whole choreography
14:51at all
14:52you know
14:53because we did
14:54the music dance experience
14:55in season one
14:56so I didn't want
14:57to try to recreate
14:58this thing
14:59you know
15:00but then Ben told me
15:02that there's a marching band
15:03and I said
15:04I can't
15:05say no to that
15:06I'm like let's do it
15:08I went to an HBCU
15:15I actually went to two
15:16HBCUs
15:17and I was always fascinated
15:19by the bands
15:20and I never had the opportunity
15:21to play in the band
15:23I definitely didn't have
15:25the opportunity
15:25to direct one
15:26so this was my opportunity
15:29and I enjoyed
15:30every minute of it
15:31it's his Beyonce
15:32homecoming moment
15:33it is
15:34yeah it's like
15:35Milchela
15:36yeah
15:36there you go
15:37what is it like
15:38watching
15:39your show
15:41take on a life
15:42of its own
15:42and viewing it
15:43through the lens
15:44of social media
15:45I think that once
15:46it's out there
15:47it just becomes
15:48really fun
15:48but when it was
15:49a secret
15:50and it was
15:51it was
15:52it was actually
15:54really funny
15:54because we were
15:55kind of
15:55it was this heavy thing
15:56and then the first
15:58episode came out
15:58and you just see
15:59how everyone's like
15:59Parker Posey's so funny
16:01and you're like
16:02oh it's fun
16:03it's like a fun thing
16:04and then I remembered
16:05being a fan
16:06of the first two
16:07and thinking
16:07how fun
16:08it's White Lotus Night
16:09it felt like
16:09I was a fan again
16:10and I felt like
16:11part of the audience
16:12so then I could
16:13yeah because I was
16:14a super fan
16:15before you know
16:17the first two
16:17I've got a bucket hat
16:19that says
16:20these gays are trying
16:20to murder me
16:21I am a fan
16:23so it was really nice
16:25to go back
16:25to being that
16:26where do you wear that
16:27hat
16:28out and about
16:29out and about
16:31if you could be
16:32on any of your
16:34fellow panelist shows
16:35which one would it be
16:35and why
16:36well for the shoot
16:37I mean
16:38Thailand
16:38Thailand
16:39Thailand
16:39Amy's like
16:40it was hot
16:42it was very hot
16:44but it was amazing
16:45it was beautiful
16:46yeah
16:46I wonder how many people
16:48have booked holidays
16:49to Thailand
16:49apparently the tourism
16:51is booming
16:52yeah
16:52yeah
16:53and Gilead
16:55is for love
16:56I did a tourism
16:58Ireland ad
16:58my dad said
17:00best thing you've ever
17:01done
17:01like really
17:03thanks
17:04Marissa which show
17:06would you want to be on
17:07I think Severance
17:08is so special
17:11I think it really
17:13requires a level
17:14of like dexterity
17:15as an actor
17:16as well
17:16just to kind of
17:18be playing
17:18all those different
17:19people in one
17:20and all of the
17:21I think it would be
17:22I think it would force
17:24you as an actor
17:24to not play
17:26the same human
17:27that you've played
17:29before
17:30and I think
17:31for that reason
17:32it just
17:33it feels slightly
17:33other
17:34Severance
17:35in that way
17:36so
17:36I think
17:37I would
17:37yeah
17:38it would be fun
17:38I feel like
17:39I could be
17:40a long lost sister
17:41we'd love you
17:41to be at least
17:42a cousin
17:42and I am
17:45half Irish
17:46so
17:47bad cousins
17:49bad cousins
17:51set up a writer's room
17:52immediately
17:53as soon as I leave here
17:54which one for you
17:56I couldn't go away
17:57for that long
17:58six months
17:58seven
17:59that last
18:01that last month
18:02is really
18:03it was a lot
18:04because it was
18:05supposed to be six
18:06and then it was
18:08sorry
18:08not finished yet
18:10it was hot
18:10the whole time
18:11it was very hot
18:12and you live
18:13in the hotel
18:14that you're filming in
18:15so there's no
18:16so it is the
18:17children's show
18:18do you get bored
18:19of the buffet
18:19I'm just assuming
18:22there's buffets
18:22and I'm quite
18:23a homesick girly
18:24I'm sure
18:26yeah
18:27it was amazing
18:30and very transformative
18:31but
18:31it is
18:33it is like
18:34a reality show
18:35they're Shakespearean
18:37like Handmaid's Tale
18:38for the hats
18:39I don't know
18:39it's Handmaid's Tale
18:41for the hats
18:41no but
18:42you're asking
18:43you're asking
18:43that's what I was
18:44going to say
18:44Handmaid's Tale
18:45for the hats
18:46final word here
18:49so I heard
18:50that Milchik
18:51would make
18:51a fantastic
18:52hotel manager
18:53that would be
18:56incredible
18:57that would be
18:58amazing
18:58you would be
18:59an incredible hotel
19:00congratulations
19:03on these performances
19:04on your shows
19:05it's been a great
19:06thrill to watch them
19:07and have you all here
19:08thank you
19:09so much
19:10cheers again
19:11cheers
19:11cheers
19:12cheers
19:15cheers
19:15cheers
19:16cheers
19:17cheers
19:18there we go
19:18cheers
19:18we got it
19:19cheers
19:20cheers
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