Over 20 performers are Emmy-nominated for the first time ever this year. Among them are well know faces such as Zendaya, Anna Kendrick and Cecily Strong. But the Television Academy also nominated many freshman performers who acted in some of this year’s hottest shows.

 

Here’s a look at some highlights from this year’s #EmmyNewbies. 

 

Zendaya

Show: “Euphoria” 

Nomination: Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series

 

Her roots? “Shake It Up” on Disney Channel. But Zendaya has come a long way since dancing alongside Bella Thorne. Starring roles in “Spider-Man Homecoming” and “The Greatest Showman” propelled her into playing Rue Bennett in “Euphoria.” The hit HBO show follows a group of high school students as they travel through the world of love and friendship infested by drugs and trauma. 

 

 

Anna Kendrick

Show: “Dummy” 

Nomination: Outstanding Actress In A Short Form Comedy Or Drama Series

 

Nominated for an Oscar in 2010 for her supporting role in “Up in the Air,” Kendrick has had one diverse career from the thriller “The Account” to all acapella club’s favorite movie “Pitch Perfect.”

 

 

Cecily Strong

Show: “Saturday Night Live” 

Nomination: Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series

 

Joining the cast of “SNL” in 2012, Strong has played some of the show’s most iconic characters such as the “girl you wish you hadn’t started a conversation with.” Throughout the past decade, Strong has also worked on some blockbuster projects such as “Ghostbusters” and “The Boss.”

 

 

Annie Murphy 

Show: “Schitt’s Creek” 

Nomination: Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series

 

Laaaa laaaa laa la la la la… a little bit Alexis! This breakout Canadian star is getting her first Emmy nod and we are in LOVE. Since 2016, Murphy has reeled in four Canadian Screen Awards nominations. It’s about time the Emmys gave Murphy, and “Schitts Creek” which received 15 overall nominations, some recognition. 

 

 

Mamoudou Athie 

Show: “Oh Jerome, No” 

Nomination: Outstanding Actor In A Short Form Comedy Or Drama Series

 

Athie is one of those actors that you see in everything and just wish someone in Hollywood would give him a leading role. Well, dreams do come true! His leading role in the mini-series “Oh Jerome, No” landed him his first Emmy nomination. The comedic mini-series follows Athie on his quest to achieve supreme masculinity.

 

 

Shira Haas 

Show: “Unorthodox” 

Nomination: Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Series Or Movie

 

Arriving just in time for quarantine-binging, “Unorthodox” follows Esther, a Hacidic woman, as she flees her arranged marriage in Brooklyn, New York. Originally published as a memoir, author Deborah Feldman’s true story has turned into one of the best reviewed television series of 2020 with the phenomenal Israeli actress Shira Haas leading the show.

 

 

Yvonne Orji 

Show: “Insecure” 

Nomination: Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series

 

With four seasons of “Insecure,” Orji is way over due for an Emmy nomination. Orji plays Molly Carter alongside Issa Dee, played by Issa Rae, as the two navigate their surrounding turmoil-filled relationships. Since the show’s launch in 2016, Orji has been nominated for four Black Reel Awards.

 

 

Rain Valdez 

Show: “Razor Tongue” 

Nomination: Outstanding Actress In A Short Form Comedy Or Drama Series

 

As “Pose” stars, Indya Moore and Angelica Ross, speak out against the lack of transgender performers nominated, Valdez becomes one of the only transgender women this year to be nominated for an Emmy award. Web-series “Razor Tongue” follows Valdez’s character Belle as she navigates the world of call-out culture.

 

 

William Jackson Harper 

Show: “The Good Place” 

Nomination: Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series

 

Playing Chidi Anagonye in “The Good Place” since 2016, this is Harper’s first Emmy nomination. Over the past few years, Harper has worked with the likes of director Ari Aster and actor Mark Ruffalo on some dramatically dark films such as “Midsommar” and “Dark Waters.”

 

 

Stephan James
Show: “#FreeRayshawn” 

Nomination: Outstanding Actor In A Short Form Comedy Or Drama Series

 

James is far from being a freshman actor. His roles in “If Beale Street Could Talk” and “Race” delivered some of the most powerful performances of the past decade. Taking to television,  “#FreeRayshawn” is a Quibi original that follows a Black man in an all-day standoff with New Orleans police officers.

 

 

Jeremy Pope 

Show: “Hollywood” 

Nomination: Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Series Or Movie

 

A Broadway star turned Emmy nominee. Not bad, huh? Pope plays Archie in Netflix’s “Hollywood” — a gay Black screenwriter. The “Ain’t Too Proud” Grammy nominated star now finds himself listed with the likes Hollywood’s biggest stars.