Shailene Woodley Wins Her First Emmy for Paradise

Shailene Woodley has officially won her first Emmy.

The actress took home the award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series at the 2026 Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 6. She was honored for her performance as Annie Clay in Hulu’s post-apocalyptic thriller Paradise.

Woodley, 34, joined the second season of the series as Annie, a former Graceland tour guide and survivor of The Day. Her character quickly became an important emotional part of the season, bringing a new perspective to the show’s story.

Accepting the award, Woodley shared an emotional and playful message.

“Mom, this is so cool,” she said, according to Deadline. She also thanked her fellow actors, describing them as “amazing traveling storytelling clowns.”

The Emmy marks a major milestone for Woodley, who previously received a nomination in 2017 for her supporting role as Jane Chapman in HBO’s Big Little Lies.

A Different Character

Woodley has said that she and Annie are very different people, which made the role especially interesting for her.

“Annie and I are actually very different, which was fun to play somebody that was very different than who I am,” she told PEOPLE in April.

She said the biggest similarity between them is their resilience, although they handle difficult situations in very different ways.

“I’m an emotional roller coaster sometimes and Annie is quite linear, I think, in her approach and practical,” Woodley explained.

Woodley Beat a Strong Field

Woodley faced several talented performers in the guest actress category.

The nominees included Miriam Shor for Pluribus, Merritt Wever for The Gilded Age, and The Pitt stars Brittany Allen, Tal Anderson and Tina Ivlev.

Shor earned her first Emmy nomination for playing Helen Umstead in Pluribus. Her character dies in the series premiere after being exposed to the virus at the center of the show, but her performance left a strong impression.

Wever received her sixth Emmy nomination for playing Monica O’Brien in The Gilded Age. She previously won this same category in 2025 for her role as Gretchen George in Severance.

The Pitt also had three nominees in the category. Allen played Roxie Hamler, a cancer patient, while Anderson portrayed Becca King. Ivlev appeared as Ilana Miller, a sexual assault survivor.

For Allen, the nomination came after she submitted herself for consideration.

“You have to fight for yourself. You have to believe in your work, and you can’t expect other people to do that for you,” she told Variety.

Anderson, who was diagnosed with autism as a child, said her nomination was deeply meaningful because of what her character represented to the autistic and disabled communities.

Ivlev also called her nomination an unexpected surprise and praised the show for highlighting the work of sexual assault nurse examiners and the experiences of survivors.

When to Watch the Emmys

The 78th Creative Arts Emmy Awards were held over Sept. 5 and 6 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The two ceremonies will be edited into a single broadcast airing Saturday, Sept. 12, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FXX, with streaming on Hulu the following day.

The Primetime Emmy Awards will follow on Monday, Sept. 14, airing live on NBC and Peacock. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star Mariska Hargitay will host.

For Woodley, however, the weekend already brought a career-defining moment: her first Emmy win for Paradise.