The Hollywood Reporter and SAG-AFTRA kicked off Emmys weekend in star-studded style on Friday night, toasting top TV talent at their Emmy Nominees Night event.
The celebration, sponsored by Glenfiddich, Heineken and Shake Shack, was held at the Stanley II mansion overlooking Los Angeles and welcomed some of this year’s top contenders, including Shogun‘s Anna Sawai and Hiroyuki Sanada and Baby Reindeer stars Richard Gadd, Jessica Gunning and Nava Mau. (See photos of the event.)
The night started right after sunset, with Abbott Elementary‘s Tyler James Williams as the first guest on the carpet. Despite being nominated for a third straight year, Williams told THR that the Emmy recognition never gets old: “There’s a lot of really good TV out there, so the fact that we’re nominated and considered and celebrated, it’s always super special. And I think everyone works so hard every year that we never see each other, so it’s a really good time to see your friends and people you worked with before.”
Tyler James Williams, Quinta Brunson, Chris Perfetti and Lisa Ann Walter
Stefanie Keenan/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images
Inside the event, early arrivals including Quinta Brunson, Selma Blair, Nikki Glaser, Fargo showrunner Noah Hawley and Shogun‘s Tadanobu Asano took in the 270-degree sights of the city from the house’s living room, featuring an infinity pool for prime photo-taking. Guests munched on tray-passed appetizers and a large charcuterie spread, as well as handouts of Shake Shack’s Black Truffle Burger and Black Truffle Parmesan Fries. A bar menu featured several options from Heineken and a trio of themed cocktails, appropriately named “City of Stars,” “Red Carpet Cocktail” and “The FYC.”
The party saw a number of cast reunions, with Sawai and Sanada stopping to take photos together while Reservation Dogs co-stars D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai and Devery Jacobs kept close. Woon-A-Tai is nominated for best actor in a comedy, and the FX series is, for the first time, up for best comedy series; he told THR of the recognition for the show’s final season after longtime snubs, “We’ve been working really hard for a long time to do it — this has been something in the works for a such a long time.”
Sanada also weighed in Shogun’s already record-breaking success, having taken home 14 Emmy wins at the Creative Arts ceremonies before even more expected wins at the Primetime Emmys show this Sunday. “It’s a lot for me,” the star admitted. “We spent a long time to create this show, and we had great teamwork, an East-meets-West great collaboration. Then great reaction from the audience, and now this. It’s a lot.”
Alex Borstein and Jessica Gunning
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Gadd, Gunning and Mau proved to be popular attendees, with Gadd stopping for selfies; Gadd told THR that the last five months since the show’s release “have been pretty overwhelming. So much has happened, I almost can’t believe it; it’s been such a whirlwind. I’m still catching my breath.” Also taking part in the celebration were Hacks creators Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky, while The Morning Show nominee Mark Duplass mingled with comedian Alex Edelman and True Detective: Night Country‘s Kali Reis and Zachary Quinto made the rounds.
Lisa Rinna and Selma Blair
Stefanie Keenan/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images
Halfway through the event, THR president Joe Shields led a toast, opening up the lower level of the house for guests to check out the hidden disco and screening room, located behind a secret bookcase door. DJ Kiss spun tunes throughout the night and kept the party going until the late evening.
Lisa Ann Walter, Alex Borstein, Harvey Guillén, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Liza Colón-Zayas, John Bradley, Lisa Rinna, Lilly Singh, Aja Naomi King, Sherry Cola and Heidi Klum were also among the stars in attendance.
