Joey King's Two Emmys-Weekend Looks Couldn't Be More Different

There are some awards show seasons that uncover a talent so prominent, we all feel like we’ve been sleeping under a rock for not paying closer attention before. This will be that season for Joey King, the 20-year-old star of The Act, Hulu's intense series based on a real-life story about the tragic relationship between a young girl, and her mother who has munchausen by proxy.

For audiences not familiar with King's young turn in the film adaptation of Ramona Quimby, the star is making her presence known now. This is actually her second time attending the Emmys, and she’s wearing a custom gown by the designer who brought her to the show last year. (Of course Zac Posen was ahead of the curve on this one.)

“I didn't go through any [dresses]. I knew exactly what I wanted,” King told InStyle at the Entertainment Weekly pre-Emmy party Friday night at Sunset Tower Hotel in Los Angeles. “Last year, Zack Posen asked me to go with him [to the Emmys] because his show Project Runway was nominated. So, he asked me to go with him as his guest to wear his gown, and then this year, I am nominated; it’s my first nomination. So I was like, how cool and full circle would it be for him to custom make a gown for me? So, Zac Posen [custom-made] my gown.”

VIDEO: Watch Joey King's 2019 Emmys Red Carpet Arrival

King stayed mum on specifics on the dress, but said “the vibe is timeless.” And now that we can see the A-like, floor-sweeping, lipstick-red gown, her description was right on point. It's a perfect choice for King's appearance as she's up for the Emmy for Lead Actress in a Limited Series/Movie for her role as The Act's Gypsy Rose.

As far as getting into that gown, King said her first Emmy morning as a nominee was going to be all about bonding with her sister, Hunter, who she's bringing as her date, eating breakfast burritos and pancakes, listening to Frank Sinatra, and getting glam. "It's going to be the best morning ever. I just want to enjoy every moment, and I am very excited that [my sister] is going with me,” she said Friday night, hugging Hunter, whom she had brought to the EW party as well. “It's just gonna be so fun to be able to just decompress with the people I love.”

“Every day we actually cannot believe how lucky we are that we're related,” King said about her sister. “‘Cause she's like the nicest, most thoughtful person I've ever met in my life who honestly pushes me to work harder every day. She just makes me so happy and I’m so lucky that I get to call her my sister.” Thankfully her real-life kin couldn’t be farther from the family situation she portrayed onscreen (and which landed her the nomination tonight).

For the EW party, King wore an Ulyana Sergeenko white lace structured top tucked into a black belted dress, telling InStyle, “my inspiration was vampire,” flashing a wry smile. “This outfit makes me feel like a blood-sucking queen, so I'm just rolling with it tonight.” And there was one thing that wasn’t visible just by looking at her slay the goth-chic look: “I can't breathe,” she said with a laugh. “I cannot breathe, but it is totally worth it.”

Something tells us her breath is going to be taken away more than once this weekend.