\n\tSometimes all it takes is four episodes.<\/p>\n
\n\tShailene Woodley earned an Emmy nomination Thursday for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series after delivering one of Paradise<\/a> Season 2\u2019s most unforgettable performances as Annie Clay, the resilient survivor whose emotional journey left an outsized impact on Hulu<\/a>\u2018s post-apocalyptic drama.<\/p>\n \n\tAlthough Annie\u2019s fate was sealed from the start, Woodley said there was never any hesitation about joining the series. \u201cI\u2019m just such a fan of Sterling [K. Brown] and Dan Fogelman<\/a>. I just think everything he creates is gold,\u201d Woodley told Deadline. \u201cI loved the first season, and so when Dan contacted me about being a part of the second season, I was so excited.\u201d Even after learning Annie would only appear in a handful of episodes, she said, \u201cI honestly was just so, so excited to have the opportunity to work with all of them, and I loved every moment of it.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThat enthusiasm carried over to what Woodley described as one of the most harmonious productions of her career. \u201cI think Paradise is the set that I have been on throughout my entire career that has had the least amount of drama,\u201d she said. \u201cThere was just no drama. Everyone genuinely loved one another. Everyone got along from the actors to catering to the transportation department.\u201d Woodley also credited co-star Brown for helping cultivate that atmosphere, noting that while Xavier Collins is often stoic on screen, \u201cin real life Sterling is just so silly, goofy and playful.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tFor Woodley, Annie\u2019s lasting impact comes from the character\u2019s emotional walls and unwavering determination to protect the people she loves. \u201cI think people are really moved by the fact that this woman doesn\u2019t trust easy,\u201d she said. \u201cIt takes her a lot to lean in and to open her heart to Xavier and to Link [Thomas Doherty].\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tShe also believes Annie\u2019s resilience struck a chord with audiences still processing the Covid-19 era, and socioeconomic factors of the real world in recent years \u201cI think going into a form of isolation in the real world and then seeing it portrayed on TV, albeit in this sort of sci-fi elevation, I think hit people in a meaningful way,\u201d Woodley said. \u201cSeeing Annie\u2019s resiliency and her courage to do whatever it took to take care of her baby and to make sure that she had a life that was bigger and safe and protected, I think that was very meaningful to people.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tConsidering that sci-fi reality altering technology was introduced at the end of Season 2, could Annie come back somehow in Season 3 through a flashback or otherwise? \u201cOh, my God,\u201d she said with a laugh. \u201cAll I\u2019ve been doing is bugging Dan about Annie\u2019s future in a flashback. I guess a girl can dream.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tLooking ahead, Woodley is preparing for another Hulu series, Count My Lies<\/a>, based on the novel by Sophie Stava, where she\u2019ll star opposite Lindsay Lohan<\/a> as the enigmatic Sloane Caraway. \u201cI love playing Sloane,\u201d Woodley said. \u201cShe\u2019s unlike any character I have ever seen on television and definitely unlike any character I have ever personally portrayed in my career.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe actor added that she \u201ccompletely fell in love\u201d with the role, calling Sloane \u201cweird\u201d and \u201cunabashed in who she is.\u201d She also loved the time she got to share the screen with Lohan saying: \u201cWe both grew up in this industry and we both have had so many different experiences that we were able to talk about. It was a great experience to connect with her in that way and to build these women that we were able to sink our teeth into.\u201d<\/p>\n