Hollywood, meet the King and Queen of Emmy self-presentations.

When HBO Max notified “The Pitt” guest cast members Brittany Allen and Jeff Kober that they would not be part of the network’s official Emmy submissions, the actors and their teams got to work and submitted their performances in the guest acting categories.

Allen, recognized in the drama guest actress category for her role as Roxy, a terminally ill cancer patient, and Kober, nominated for drama guest actor as Duke, a Zen biker friend of Dr. Robby, submitted themselves for consideration after HBO Max’s initial ballot for the sprawling medical drama did not include them. It’s a distinction that makes two character actors the most distinctive success stories of the day and propelled “The Pitt,” which led all series this year with 25 nominations, to the top of the field.

For Allen, the recognition was already changing his career in real time.

“A week ago I couldn’t get a good agent if my life depended on it, and in the last hour I think that’s already starting to change,” Allen says. Variety from his home in Los Angeles. “These nominations and industry accolades are credited. It’s not always easy for someone to support an artist based solely on their own belief in them.”

This is a path Allen has traveled before. She won a Daytime Emmy early in her career for a self-hosted role on the soap opera “All My Children.” HBO has also seen rewards given to actors in the past. In 2019, three performers showed up for the final season of HBO’s fantasy juggernaut “Game of Thrones”: Alfie Allen (Theon Greyjoy) and Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth) landed in the supporting drama races, while Carice van Houten (Melisandre) was nominated for drama guest actress. Another example came in 2018, when Kelly Jenrette earned a drama guest actress nomination for her role as Annie in the second season of Hulu’s dystopian drama “The Handmaid’s Tale.”

Allen, who grew up in a Toronto suburb with no family ties to the business, has grown accustomed to thriving when he is lost. It’s a stance he leaned into throughout his entire campaign for Roxy.

“I tend to do well when I’m in an underdog position, and this business gives you a lot of opportunities to be in that position,” he shares. “I get excited when I get a no. I see doors closing around me and I say, ‘Wait a minute, no. I want to be on the other side of that door. I’m going to kick it down.’ It reminds me of my own capabilities and my own power.”

The role itself, he says, remains the most important achievement.

“Bringing Roxy’s story to the screen was one of the greatest honors of my career and my life, to be able to tell a story that all of us will face in one way or another,” says Allen. “To feel the reaction of people who were moved has been a great and profound honor.”

His message to artists still looking for a break was direct.

“Keep going. Keep perfecting your craft,” he says. “‘The Pitt’ came about because I stuck with it year after year. I didn’t let rejections make me run home. I stayed here and continued to focus on work.”

Kober, 72, arrives at his nomination four decades into a career built on scene-stealing guest appearances on prestigious television, from “NYPD Blue” to “ER” and “Lost.” She won a Daytime Emmy in 2022 for “General Hospital,” another award won for self-presentation, and approached the morning of the nominations with her trademark calm, choosing to spend it with a group that practices spiritual living rather than watching the ad.

His former manager broke the news.

“I was happier for her than for myself. She was crying,” Kober says. “She’s the one in the trenches all the time, seeing something in her clients that she desperately wants other people to see. Every once in a while, everything aligns, and this is one of those times.”

Kober’s path to the position was a short career. He got the audition on a Wednesday morning with hours to turn things around.

“I got a call at 9:30 and the audition had to be at 5 p.m. I cleared my calendar, worked on these six pages, and filmed that afternoon,” he recalls. “When I went to put it together to send it, the batteries in my microphone were dead, so I had to do it again. But it was perfect, because something magical happened that last time.”

Like Allen, Kober framed his decision to submit as a matter of conviction rather than calculation.
“I just felt like I wanted this to be seen, no matter the consequences or the outcome. I felt like it was solid work and I wanted it to be seen,” he says. “One of the best things about being an actor is the constant work of bringing your definition of self internally instead of having to look for it externally. When you don’t need approval, you have your back.”

He was philosophical about the moment of recognition.

“I’ve been lucky enough to have a lot of opportunities over the last 40 years. Every eight to ten years or so, you get a job where you can really fly. It’s in your wheelhouse, it’s in your pocket, and everything supports the job,” Kober says. “This is just a moment where that happened and was seen.”

As for his future on “The Pitt,” with season 3 currently in production, he doesn’t expect to return.

“The script hasn’t crossed my desk, so I don’t think it will be part of the third season. Maybe he will die off-screen, I don’t know,” he explains. “But so far I’m not part of it.”

However, I would jump at the chance to return.

“Oh my gosh, yes. I love that character and I love the relationship with Noah Wyle’s Dr. Robby,” Kober says. “It really was very special in every way.”

Both nominees now head into the phase two campaign of a series that suddenly can’t forget either of them. Allen received a congratulatory email during our interview. Kober, who at the time of the interview had not yet heard directly from the network, although he had contacted his manager, expressed it clearly.

“Someone sent me a photo of me with a nomination, with HBO on it,” he says. “I guess they’re aware of me now.”

Those two self-presentations were decisive. They gave “The Pitt” two additional nominations, bringing its total to 25 and nearly doubling its gross from its inaugural year. HBO Max’s “Hacks” finished close behind with 24. Without Allen and Kober, “The Pitt” wouldn’t be the top series of the day.

Last year’s winner for guest drama actor, Shawn Hatosy of “The Pitt,” announced that he would be submitting his role as Dr. Jack Abbott in the drama supporting actor category for season 2, where he was ultimately nominated.

Final round voting will take place August 17-26 ahead of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards and Governor’s Gala on September 5-6. The Primetime Emmy Awards will air September 14 on NBC.