Academy Award winner Billy Bob Thornton, who performs chain-smoking disaster supervisor Tommy Norris in Taylor Sheridan’s newest hit “Landman,” looks as if a man who can’t be intimidated. However get him in a room with Allison Janney and the reality comes out.

“I was afraid of you,” he tells her sheepishly on The Envelope’s Emmy Roundtable for drama actors.

“Really?” says Janney, the Oscar-, Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning performer who seems as crafty Vice President Grace Penn on the Netflix political thriller “The Diplomat.”

“The first time I met Allison, it was at another press function thing,” he says to the room. “And just seeing you, as an actor, and parts you play … But also, you have this very dignified quality about you.”

“It’s my height, I think.”

“No,” he continues. “You just have the face of someone who is powerful and really intelligent. So some idiot like me comes in, and I’m like, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t talk to her.’”

That is what occurs once you collect seven Emmy contenders whose performances so convincingly form our perceptions of who they’re in actual life. This yr’s group additionally included Sterling Ok. Brown, who performs Xavier Collins, a Secret Service agent in search of the reality in Hulu’s “Paradise”; Britt Decrease, who performs each rich heiress Helena Eagan and defiant information refiner Helly R. in Apple TV+’s “Severance”; Jason Isaacs, who performs Timothy Ratliff, an American financier desperately attempting to maintain a secret from his household in HBO’s “The White Lotus”; Noah Wyle, who performs Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch, a senior attending doctor at a Pittsburgh trauma middle in Max’s “The Pitt”; and Kaitlin Olson, who performs the underestimated however good police advisor Morgan Gillory in ABC’s “High Potential.”

Learn on for excerpts from our dialogue about how they faucet into their layered performances, navigate the enterprise and extra — and watch video of the roundtable beneath.

The 2025 Emmy Drama Roundtable. Again row from left: Britt Decrease, Jason Isaacs, Noah Wyle and Kaitlin Olson. From row from left: Billy Bob Thornton, Allison Janney and Sterling Ok. Brown.

(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Occasions)

Inform me about an “Oh, my God, did that just happen?” second — good or dangerous — out of your early years on a Hollywood set. Kaitlin, your first credit score was “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” I can’t think about what it’s like making Larry David giggle.

Olson: Oh, you simply need to scream in his face and insult him, after which he thinks that’s actually, actually humorous. However yeah, there have been no marks and there have been no strains. So I didn’t actually have an “Oh, my God” second. You simply discuss and shut up when it is best to shut up.

Isaacs: On my first day [on 1989’s “The Tall Guy”], I keep in mind I arrived very first thing within the morning. I used to be enjoying Surgeon No. 2 in a dream sequence that Jeff Goldblum was in. The director, who’s hassled and busy, he goes, “OK, we’re going to start with you. We’re coming in on the dolly. But because I’m on a very wide lens, if you could start the eyeline somewhere near the bottom of the jib and then just go to the corner of bottle, then take it to the edge of the matte box when we’re getting close.” And I went, “Right … What the f— did any of those words mean?” Jeff is simply out of body. And he’s in his underpants, and it’s a dream sequence for him. And we’re nearly to go and roll the cameras, and Jeff goes, “Hold on a second.” And he stands up and he begins standing on a chair reciting Byron love poems though he was not within the shot. I’m like, “I don’t understand what the hell is going on here.” Years later, I sat subsequent to him at a marriage and I mentioned, “Do you remember that night?” He went, “Yeah.”

Jason Isaacs of “The White Lotus.”

Have there been moments the place you fell out of affection with performing or the place you felt like, “This isn’t working out”?

Janney: My profession didn’t begin until I used to be 38 or one thing, as a result of I’m so tall, and I used to be actually uncastable. I went to the Johnson O’Connor [Research Foundation]. And I did three days of testing to see what else I may probably do.

Issacs: What’s that?

Janney: It’s a flair testing place. They ask you to do all these items, and on the finish of it they are saying, “This is what you should be.” And so they informed me I needs to be a programs analyst. I had no thought what that was. And the following day, I acquired solid understudying Religion Prince and Kate Nelligan in “Bad Habits,” a play on the Manhattan Theatre Membership.

Allison Janney of “The Diplomat.”

Brown: I’ve by no means fallen out of affection with it. I used to be an economics main in school who wound up switching to drama. After I acquired out of grad college and [was] hopping round by means of regional theater, I wound up reserving a TV present, “Army Wives,” for six years, and some years into the present, I used to be like, “I think I’ve done everything that I want to do with the character.” So after they got here dangling the carrot for folks to reup after Season 6, I used to be like, “I’m curious to see what else the universe has in store.” I used to be in a position to repay scholar loans. We had our first youngster, I had a house and I used to be like, “Let’s take a gamble on Brown.” I did a pilot for AMC that didn’t get picked up; then had a recurring [role] on “Person of Interest” for six episodes. I used to be like, “Oh, man, I got a wife and a kid and a house. Did I mess up? Should I have stayed on the show or not?”

Then I auditioned for [“The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story”], and I didn’t hear something for 4 months. I used to be down in New Mexico capturing this film, “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot,” and I used to be having this actually type of morbid second of going by means of my IMDb Professional account and taking a look at everyone who had booked the entire issues that I had auditioned for. I used to be like, “Oh, Bokeem Woodbine booked Season 2 of ‘Fargo.’ Good for him.” And I acquired a name from my supervisor saying, “They want you to screen test with Sarah Paulson for this thing.” I used to be the one individual that they introduced in to audition for it.

Sterling Ok. Brown of “Paradise.”

Your sequence are largely confronting or commenting on real-world anxieties or topics which might be altering in our world in actual time. Noah, with Dr. Robbie and what he says about what’s occurring within the healthcare system — we’re seeing him address the aftermath of COVID-19. We’re seeing tales which might be very well timed about vaccinations. Speak about what was necessary to you with this sequence and what you needed to point out by means of these characters.

Wyle: “ER” was very a lot a patient-centric present in a whole lot of methods. And this was extra of an train to be practitioner- and physician-centric, to essentially present the toll that the final 5 years since COVID has taken on that group. The thesis being that it’s as fragile because the psychological well being of the those that we’ve got in these jobs and the standard’s what we obtained. Despite the fact that we needed to peer right into a crystal ball and take a look at to determine a yr in the past what can be the topical instances of at the moment, we have been actually extra serious about how everyone’s coping mechanisms have allowed them to observe what they’ve been doing for the final 5 years. How they’ve compartmentalized the toll it’s taken on them personally, and discover that in actual time. Mixture stress on a shift the place you’re simply embedded with them with out launch. The outset was extra about figuring out the psychological well being of the practitioner than figuring out the ills in society … Can I simply say how effing cool it’s to sit down at this desk with you all and be the uncool one to say that I really feel like my impostor syndrome is off the rails proper now?

Olson: No means.

Noah Wyle of “The Pitt.”

Hopefully you’ll all visitor star on one another’s reveals by the point that is over.

Janney: I might love that.

Britt, what actually spoke to me about “Severance” was its exploration of grief, however inside that too, there’s the company overreach and the work-life steadiness that I feel all of us can respect. Did it present you something about the way you navigate your work-life steadiness or what you can do higher?

Decrease: The solid talks lots about how the “Severance” process is sort of like what we do for a dwelling. We go to work and placed on a distinct outfit and assume a brand new id. There have been some moments the place you’re strolling down the corridors on the way in which to your job, and there’s sort of this meta high quality of being within a present about compartmentalizing and switching into a distinct a part of your self. However I feel it’s so relatable. I feel we try this as people. We present up in a different way in numerous areas in our lives, whether or not it’s work or residence or going residence for the vacations, versus your baseball staff. You simply placed on a distinct individual actually.

Britt Decrease of “Severance.”

Isaacs: If I am going away to do a job on location someplace, I can truly — even at my ripe previous age; I’m a father and I’m a husband — simply park my life and overlook that. Now I see that metaphor very clearly and it’s irresponsible. I’m a lot extra comfy within the fictitious world than I’m in the true world.

Do you’re feeling like there’s a false impression that you just guys are simply all on the pool?

Isaacs: I’m probably not an actor anymore; I simply do “White Lotus” publicity for a job. And within the billions of interviews, folks count on you to say, “It was a holiday. We were in this resort.” Properly, we’re probably not within the resort. So I’ve mentioned just a few instances, “You make friends. You lose friends, romances or whatever; things happen between departments and all the backstage drama that we’re all used to.” Properly, the net world went mad attempting to deconstruct, attempting to work out who knew who and who was [doing what]. Really, I’m speaking about all of the crew and all of the departments — not that it’s anybody’s enterprise. But it surely’s attempting to deconstruct what all of us consider one another. And what occurred there’s a lot much less fascinating than Mike White’s good tales. You shouldn’t be serious about who went to dinner with who. I sort of want I hadn’t opened my mouth about it, however I don’t wish to faux it was a vacation. Not simply the way in which that the present blew up but additionally the extent of microscopic curiosity in something any of us mentioned, tweeted, posted — there aren’t many new experiences for actors who’ve been round a very long time, however this one has been surprising, and I’m fairly glad that it’s abating now. I’d wish to return to my regular life, however I don’t understand how people who find themselves uber-famous take care of it.

The extent of microscopic curiosity in something any of us mentioned, tweeted, posted, is a brand new — there aren’t many new experiences for actors who’ve been round a very long time, however this one has been surprising.

— Jason Isaacs, on fan consideration to ‘The White Lotus’

Billy Bob, how did you come to navigate it? You’ve skilled the intense results of that.

Thornton: You imply on the earth of Hollywood and all that?

Isaacs: Do you go to the grocery store, take the subway … Do you do the stuff I do?

Thornton: It is determined by what yr it’s. I’ve gone by means of instances the place I couldn’t go anyplace. As soon as my life acquired greater, and that basically occurred with … I imply, I used to be a working actor doing OK, however “Sling Blade” is the one which, actually in a single day, it was a loopy factor. From that time on, it’s been fairly regular. What I’ve achieved to not become involved in all that’s I don’t actually go anyplace. I’m both working or I’m at residence with the household or in a recording studio or on the street. You don’t see me within the [tabloid] magazines, on the events and all that sort of stuff.

I’ll put it this manner. Proper now, with “Landman,” we thought it was going to achieve success. We had no concept that it was going to be like this. I imply, we’ve acquired followers in Iceland and stuff. I can’t go to a Walmart in Texas. It’s actually unimaginable. I attempted it. I might stroll three toes at a time. Texans, their personalities are additionally very large, and so they don’t actually come up and go, “Excuse me, mister.” It’s not like that. It’s like, “Hey man, what’s going on? Get in a picture with me.”

I’ve had a popularity — weirdo. Angelina and I have been vampires. We drank one another’s blood. You look on the web, and there’s some sort of factor you’re attempting to search for and, inevitably, it’ll present one thing else. So that you go, “I hate this. I hate the internet, but I got to see it.”

Billy Bob Thornton of “Landman.”

Isaacs: There’s no good model of you. You both look a lot better on the display screen or a lot better in actual life. I needed to say [looks at Allison], as a result of I used to be an enormous “West Wing” fan, I did some “West Wing,” I couldn’t get away of pondering that Bradley [Whitford] and Janel [Moloney] have been, in truth, Josh and Donna. Did folks assume you have been that political? Individuals assumed you have been that character?

Janney: I’ve been such a disappointment for individuals who assume that I’m C. J. [Cregg, her character on “The West Wing”], as a result of I couldn’t be much less like her. I’m not that one that’s in a position to verbally minimize somebody down within the second that she must. It was so nice to play her, however I keep in mind after they had the Democratic Nationwide [Convention] in California and there have been extra individuals who got here as much as me and requested me, “After this is over, will you come work for us? Will you come to…” I’m like, “You don’t understand. I’m so not like that.” And now on “The Diplomat,” enjoying the president of the USA and the neatest individual within the room, it’s a lot enjoyable for me to play these sort of girls as a result of I’m not [like that]. I imply, I’m not an fool, however I do know nothing about being on the earth of politics or being manipulative.

Kaitlin, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” is in its seventeenth season now. You’re on “Hacks.” If you’re signing on to one thing like “High Potential,” what components do you think about when excited about how lengthy you wish to decide to one thing?

Olson: I don’t ever wish to play a personality that begins to get previous to me. “Sunny” doesn’t really feel like that to me as a result of it’s a satire and the world’s at all times offering us with new content material. And we do eight to 10 episodes a season. So it’s 17 seasons, which is insane, but it surely’s not even 20 episodes. It’s a lot enjoyable, which is the rationale I’m not sick of that character but. However I really feel the identical means as you, [Allison], once I’m enjoying characters who’re super-smart, after which I’ve to speak about it, I simply go into panic mode.

How has it been stepping into Morgan’s head?

Olson: I like the opposite characters that I play, however there’s coronary heart to this, and she or he’s a great mother and she or he may be very insecure however places on a giant present. I like that she’s scrappy and has to determine it out, and she or he trusts that she’s going to and doesn’t depend on anyone else to assist her determine it out. A very powerful factor are her youngsters. I feel she’s simply fascinating to play.

Kaitlin Olson of “High Potential.”

What’s probably the most spectacular talent you picked up on the job? Noah, I’m going to begin with you. You went to medical boot camp. You’ve achieved rather well with sutures. You’ll be able to intubate any one among us, I feel.

Wyle: I’ve by no means carried out one.

Isaacs: The evening is younger.

Wyle: I want everyone a chance to slide into a task that you’ve got such nice muscle reminiscence with from one other side of your life once you play a musician or once you do circusing or no matter. If you do one thing you’ve achieved for thus lengthy, and you then get to do it once more, it’s simply wonderful how a lot it’s in your physique and the way you don’t have to fret about that stuff. There was a second earlier the place Sterling choked on the grape within the greenroom. I used to be so able to intubate him, even when it wasn’t mandatory.

Thornton: I went to air-traffic management college for “Pushing Tin,” so I can nonetheless say, “Delta 2376, turn left, 20-0-4-0” and “Clear the Alice approach one-four right, call the tower one-eight-three,” since you simply don’t overlook it. That’s not air-traffic management, that’s only a line. With Noah, he learns this talent that he has been doing over time, and that sort of information is invaluable. Anytime you could have stuff to do, with out simply performing, such as you’re doing busy work — you’re, like, right here’s the way you do an appendectomy — and also you study and once you’re selecting up the proper instruments, you’re saying the proper stuff, you’re making incisions — that stuff you’ve acquired to study.

Isaacs: One of many nice privileges of being an actor that possibly doesn’t present up onscreen is you get to stroll in folks’s sneakers. I shadowed coronary heart surgeons and plastic surgeons and politicians and criminals and troopers, and it’s simply an incredible privilege to be in folks’s lives and discuss it. And there could also be some tiny bit you decide up for the display screen.