Joy Sunday just landed her first Emmy nomination. Her performance as Agent Jodie Plumb in HBO’s DTF St. Louis put her in scenes opposite Jason Bateman and Richard Jenkins, and she didn’t just keep pace, she commanded them. That’s 13 nominations for the show total, and one that belongs solely to her.
She’s been a fan favorite since she stepped into Bianca on Wednesday, the “villain” who somehow became one of the most beloved characters on the show. Two roles, two completely different women, both proof of range many actors don’t always get to show this early.
I sat down with her to talk about both. What it actually took to build a character who is sexually forward and still fully in control of every scene she’s in. What she took with her from that Wednesday set. And why she’s kept her hair short since she was 16, and what it means to show up on screen looking exactly like herself. This is a woman who is just getting started, and she knows it.