Jessica Biel received her first Emmy nomination for her work on USA Network’s The Sinner in the outstanding lead actress in a limited series or movie category, and she told The Hollywood Reporter that there was no way to contain her excitement or act “uber cool.”
“[The Sinner] is very close to my heart and I just feel very excited that it was received the way that it was,” she said. “And now here we are talking about Emmys in an amazing category with these women that I’ve looked up to and whose careers I want to emulate.”
The actress discussed the challenges of playing Cora Tannetti, a psychologically bruised mother who often doesn’t remember elements of her own life.
“I think in every way this experience was challenging for me creatively, from I think the physicality of it, which is so stripped and raw and exposed,” Biel said.
The challenge for Biel was finding the right balance between a likable character and a woman with a complicated psyche. “I think the reason I love her so much is because of her compassion and because of her tenderness; quite honestly, she is a survivor.”
The second season of The Sinner premiered Aug. 1, and although Biel is no longer onscreen, the new storyline takes place in the same world.
As an executive producer, Biel told THR that the psychological unraveling, whydunit storyline will continue to remain at the core of the show’s foundation.
“We are going to take you through a human experience. We are going to expose an underbelly of maybe a location or an experience or a relationship between two people or multiple people. We want to hold onto all of that feeling the language of the show, the atmospheric quality, the silence of the show,” said Biel.
If Biel were to walk away with the coveted award from the Television Academy, she said that it would be such an honor to be accepted by her colleagues.
“This [performance] has really been a lot of blood, sweat and tears and I can’t even really imagine it happening,” said.
Watch the video above to hear Biel reveal what it would take for her character to come back in future seasons, how her son reacted to her nomination and more.
