NEED TO KNOW
- Jessica Williams earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Gaby Evans in Shrinking
- Should Williams take home the prize on Emmys night in September, she suspects she’ll have an unusual reaction
- The actress also opens up about the impact of playing Gaby, what fan interactions are her favorite and her tight bond with the cast
If Jessica Williams wins an Emmy, she knows her reaction might not be what you expect!
Speaking to PEOPLE ahead of the 2025 Emmys, the Shrinking star explains why she’ll have an unusual reaction if she wins Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Gaby Evans.
Recalling how tense it can be as the nominees are announced, Williams, 36, admits, “There is this moment that you get when you’re nominated — and I don’t know if all actors get it — you’re like, ‘Okay, I’m not going to win.'”
However, right before they announce the winner’s name, Williams says “you have five seconds where you’re like, ‘Holy s—, what if I actually win?'”
“Then they say somebody else’s name and you’re like, ‘Yeah, no, they deserve it. I wasn’t,'” she jokes. “But there is that five seconds where you’re just like, ‘What if I…?’ That’s weird, right? It is the moment you believe for a little second.”
“You’re like, ‘Wait, what?'” she adds. “I think I would just be like, ‘What?’ I think I’ll just do that: ‘What? Are you serious?'”
For Williams, that reaction is not out of the ordinary.
“Unfortunately, when big things happen to me, I’ve been very disappointed to find out that I go, ‘Are you serious? Are you serious?’ That’s my instinct. ‘Are you serious right now? Are you serious right now?'” she recalls.
“That’s my actual reaction to big, big news,” she adds with a laugh. “You know how Black people, when we watch magic tricks, we just walk away? I think I would do that for sure. If I won, I would be a Black person watching a David Blaine trick and just literally walk out of the hood. I would walk out of the theater.”
If Williams were to pull off the win in her category, it would mark her first-ever Emmys win.
The actress has been nominated for her role as Gabby before in 2023, but Ayo Edebiri from The Bear walked away with the prize that year.
Still, Williams is aware of what a honor is it to be recognized and doesn’t take it lightly.
“Getting nominated for an Emmy … it’s an affirmation in like, ‘Wow, that character is working, that works,'” Williams says. “I still have to pinch myself sometimes of, ‘Wow, a jury of my peers voted to nominate me for that part that’s really special and seems almost impossible.’ I feel really lucky.”
Outside of her peers in the professional setting, Williams says she’s also received high praise from fans regarding her portrayal of Gaby.
“I’ve been very lucky in my career. Men are great, but I love being loved by women,” she says. “There’s nothing better than going to a bar with my best friend and then seeing three women that are like, “Yo, bitch. I love you! Do you want a f—— margarita?'”
“To have wasted women come up to me when I’m out, which is my favorite thing and be like, ‘You’re that bitch’ is my favorite thing and I get paid a livable wage for it. I mean, it doesn’t get any better. Are you kidding me? What a dream!”
And while she’s proud of her own performance, Williams knows she wouldn’t be able to do it without her costars.
The actress stars in Shrinking alongside Jason Segel, Harrison Ford, Christa Miller, Michael Urie, Lukita Maxwell, Luke Tennie and Ted McGinley.
The show — which follows grieving therapist Jimmy (Segel) and his colleagues — earned a total of seven Emmy nominations this year, including Williams’ nod, an Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series nomination for Segel, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series nods for Ford and Urie, and an Outstanding Comedy Series nomination.
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“There’s something really nice about being a supporting actor and being in that category because I get to show up and support other people,” Williams says. “I want people to feel an aliveness when they watch me on the show.”
“To be able to show up and volley with however Harrison is feeling that day or Jason or Christa or Lukita is me doing my job,” she shares. “I think I’m at my best when I am supporting other people and that’s literally the best part of the job is connecting.”
“It’s hard to make TV. It’s hard to be on a successful show, it rarely happens,” she adds. “It’s hard to continue doing these characters. To be able to do season 2 and season 3 as these characters I’ve already played, is something I’ve never been able to do before. I feel really lucky. It’s like a family … and the love and respect that we have for each other is very clear. And that doesn’t happen on every set. Shrinking is a really special show for that.”
Shrinking is now streaming on Apple TV+.
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