Mandy Moore, Chris Sullivan Celebrate First Emmy Nominations at NBC and Universal Television Celebration
By Angelique Jackson
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – For Mandy Moore, the news of her first Emmy nomination for her role as Rebecca in “This Is Us” hasn’t yet sunk in.
“I don’t know if it ever really does, does it?” she asked Variety. “It’s pretty crazy. We are truly a family here and I can’t help but think 54 episodes in, three seasons in, the fact that the show is still getting acknowledged and in this conversation at all is the craziest, most incredible accolade in and of itself.”
Moore and the cast of the hit NBC series (Milo Ventimiglia, Sterling K. Brown, Justin Hartley, Chrissy Metz, Michael Angarano, and Melanie Liburd) took a break from filming their fourth season, gathering at Tesse in West Hollywood on Tuesday night to celebrate their nine nominations — including one for outstanding drama series. Also singled out by the Television Academy for his performance this year was Chris Sullivan, who’s elated about his first nod.
“I was in complete disbelief, I didn’t know it was Emmy nomination day and so when people told me, I was like ‘Oh, the show got nominated…’ and people were like ‘No, you have an individual nomination for an Emmy,’ so it took a while to set in but it was really overwhelming and lovely,” Sullivan told Variety, adding that his castmates were just as thrilled as he was. “They all reached out immediately…and everyone was very happy and very supportive. For me, Mandy’s nomination was my favorite that day. After turning out three seasons of some of the best acting on television, she finally got the nomination that she deserves.”
Alongside the cast of “,” “The Good Place” stars Ted Danson, D’Arcy Carden, William Jackson Harper, Manny Jacinto and Jameela Jamil; Charlie Barnett of “Russian Doll”; “Making It” host Nick Offerman and “American Ninja Warrior’s” Akbar Gbajabiamila and Matt Iseman gathered to toast to a combined 71 Emmy nominations at NBC and Universal Television’s Emmy nominee celebration.
Though Danson has already won two awards for his work on “Cheers,” he holds his time in “The Good Place” (which is wrapping up shooting their fourth and final season) near to his heart.
“The ending is just everything you would hope for in this show. And I will miss my buddies and my friends,” Danson told Variety, adding that hearing “series wrap” for his character was very emotional.
“There are a lot of people there that I love and I really feel genuinely that I was part of something very special,” he continued. “It’s a very special show and it’s not going to go away cause another group of 12-year-olds will come up and want to see it and their parents will want them to see it. It’s a lovely thing. It’s a lovely, massive gift.”
Though “This Is Us” is also barreling toward their series end (the show was renewed through Season 6), Ventimiglia is staying in the moment on set and looking ahead to the Emmy awards — where he’ll bring his parents as his dates.
“I gotta set him up with someone that’s gonna help him dress and all of that. But I did tell them, I said, ‘Hey guys, I hope you get some rest. Make sure you eat before, because it’s going to be a good long day. We’re going to do the carpet,’” he explained, saying that his parents initially planned to stay in the background. “I’m like, ‘No, no, you’re just standing right next to me. The whole time.’”
The 71st Primetime Emmy Awards will air live on Fox on Sept. 22.
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