Shailene Woodley‘s tragic turn in Season 2 of Dan Fogelman’s post-apocalyptic series Paradise won the actress — and the Hulu show — their first Emmy Award.
Woodley took home the trophy in the Guest Actress In a Drama Series category during Night 2 of the 2026 Emmy Awards for playing former Graceland tour guide Annie in a character arc whose conclusion marked one of the heart-wrenching episodes of television in a long time.
“Mom, this is so cool,” she said on stage. “I just feel so lucky to do what we do and to be a part of the circus with all of you amazing traveling storytelling clowns.”
Backstage, Woodley spoke about her character and which of Annie’s traits she is taking with her.
“Annie is very calculated, and she’s very patient in her decisions, and that’s something that I have learned from and something that I’ve definitely take with me as I’ve moved forward away from her,” she said. “I also really admire her resiliency, and that her resiliency comes from an internal place, not from a place of needing gratification, from an external perspective, and I think that’s a very rare and beautiful quality to have as a person.”
This was Woodley’s second Emmy nomination; she also was nominated in 2017 in the Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Limited Series Or Movie category for HBO’s Big Little Lies.
Paradise has 7 Emmy nominations this year, including for Outstanding Drama Series, up from 4 for Season 1.
Woodley spoke backstage about winning the series’ first Emmy.
“I just feel very excited to be on board their bigger mission and to have my little slice of the pie and contribute what I was able to contribute,” she said.
In the Guest Actress In a Drama Series field, Woodley competed alongside three performers from The Pitt, Brittany Allen, Tal Anderson and Tina Ivlev; as well as Prilubus’ Miriam Shor and The Gilded Age‘s Merritt Wever.
