Sepideh Moafi is feeling uncharacteristically calm before the 2026 Emmys. The actor admits she's been a bit overstimulated and not sleeping well while filming season three of The Pitt (believable if you're following her character's plot line). But leave it to the night before TV’s biggest awards ceremony to give her what she describes as the best sleep she’s had in weeks.
“I’m just basking in the joy and gratitude—I kind of can’t believe it,” Moafi says. “It’s definitely a little sliver of utopia right now; there’s so much chaos and so much going wrong in the world, but this is a beautiful moment to just absorb as much joy [as possible] and celebrate the fruits of our labor.
And for me personally, to take a moment to reflect on this wild and wacky path [and] celebrate.”
Her prep for the 78th Primetime Emmys didn’t start this morning. Moafi’s credits her skincare routine—filled with La Mer products like The Moisturizing Soft Cream, The Treatment Lotion Hydrating Sheet Mask, and The Eye Concentrate, along with the Dr.
Idriss Major Fade Hyper Serum in creating the perfect base for that glowy look—as the perfect base for her dewy, skin-first beauty look. And then there was the incredible facial the morning of with esthetician Serena Rahman.
The actor is a huge proponent of lymphatic massages, using red light therapy, wearing SPF daily, and drinking a gallon of water a day (yes, she carries a gallon-water bottle around set to stick to her hydration goals).
Tonight is a special one for Moafi. Not only is it her first Emmy nomination, it also marks the first time an Iranian woman—as well as a woman from the Middle East—is being recognized in the drama series category for supporting actress.
It’s an honor she wears with immense pride. “People from my part of the world are often seen in a narrow lens, and it just feels really good and gratifying to play somebody who’s so rich, full, and human,” she says.
“Bringing that humanity to my part of the world on screen and sharing this moment with the generations of artists that came before me who might not have had the opportunities to play roles that could be recognized in this way or might not have had the opportunities in general.”
Moafi’s stylist Jessica Pastor (along with her go-to glam team elebrity makeup artist Dana Delaney and hairstylist Rena Calhoun) has been thinking about what the actor would wear since the moment nominations came out. But all that ideating wasn't even really necessary: the actor was sold on the first dress she tried on, a crystal-embellished dress from Lebanese designer Georges Hobeika.
“I exploded into tears and said, ‘I don’t want to try anything else on.’ This is it,” she says. “I’ve been such a fan for such a long time and it was on my wishlist to work with a designer who is from my part of the world.”
She let her go-to glam team, celebrity makeup artist Dana Delaney and hairstylist Rena Calhoun, take the lead, settling on glowy makeup and airy hair. “We’re doing a very exciting sort of glowy, bright ethereal look,” Moafi says. “It’s very much me, and it’s also a version of me that is really in the fullness of my light.”
Despite having to film season three tomorrow, she and her co-stars do plan to run through the afterparty circuit. (The HBO Max party, the Netflix party, Apple TV party, and the Governor’s Ball, to name a few).
Speaking of filming, I tell Moafi that I know she can’t give away spoilers for the upcoming season of The Pitt. So we can compromise at describing season 3 in one word, and she had this to say: “Balanced,” she says. “Balanced-ish.”
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