Emmy Rossum is set for a major television honor at the 27th Newport Beach Film Festival, where her performance in Hulu’s Furious will earn her the outstanding performance in television award for an actress.
The festival will celebrate Rossum on Sunday, Oct. 18, at the Mainstage at Fashion Island. The event begins at 3 p.m. with a career-retrospective conversation recorded in front of a festival audience for a later episode of the Awards Chatter podcast. The award presentation will immediately follow the discussion.
Admission is free, though attendees must RSVP in advance. The festival itself is scheduled to run from Oct. 15 through Oct. 22.
A High-Profile Turn in Furious
Rossum, 40, plays an FBI agent pursuing a female serial killer in the drama series from Elizabeth Meriwether. In addition to starring in the show, she served as an executive producer through her Composition 8 banner.
The role has attracted some of the strongest praise of Rossum’s career and could lead to her first Emmy nomination. Hulu demonstrated early confidence in the series by ordering a second season before the first season had finished airing.
Gregg Schwenk, co-founder and CEO of the Newport Beach Film Festival, said the organization was “thrilled to honor Emmy Rossum for her remarkable performance in Furious.”
“From the opera stage to the screen to the director’s chair, Emmy has built a career defined by range and fearlessness,” Schwenk said in a statement. “We are proud to celebrate her talent and the impact of her work.”
From Opera to Shameless
Rossum began performing at age seven as a member of the Metropolitan Opera. Her early screen work included 2003’s Mystic River, directed by Clint Eastwood, followed by 2004’s The Phantom of the Opera. The latter performance brought her a Critics Choice Award and a Golden Globe Award nomination.
She later became widely known for playing Fiona Gallagher across nine seasons of Shameless from 2011 to 2019. Fiona was the daughter of Frank Gallagher, played by William H. Macy, in the series from Paul Abbott and John Wells. Rossum received two Critics Choice Award nominations for her work on the show.
Her subsequent television projects have included Angelyne in 2022 and The Crowded Room in 2024. The Newport Beach honor now places the spotlight squarely on Furious, recognizing both her latest performance and the latest chapter in a career spanning opera, film, television, producing and directing.
A Festival Tradition for Awards Chatter
Rossum’s appearance will join a long-running podcast that recently marked its 11th anniversary and is approaching its 700th episode. Its previous guests have included Martin Scorsese, Bruce Springsteen, Oprah Winfrey, Harrison Ford, Elton John, Barbra Streisand, Meryl Streep, Steven Spielberg, Jennifer Lawrence, Julia Roberts, Robert De Niro, Lady Gaga, Denzel Washington, Dolly Parton and Tom Hanks, among many others.
The Newport Beach Film Festival has previously hosted recordings with Adam Sandler, Eddie Redmayne, Ewan McGregor, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Ronson and Jacob Elordi. Episodes have also been taped at the Newport Beach TV Festival with Kate Hudson, Mindy Kaling, Adam Brody, Sam Rockwell and Seth MacFarlane.
What Happens Next?
Rossum’s Oct. 18 conversation will be recorded for subsequent podcast airing, followed by the festival’s presentation of her television performance award. Beyond the ceremony, Furious is already assured a second season, while the possibility of Rossum receiving the first Emmy nomination of her career remains ahead.