Who plays Esmeralda on The Paper? All about the actress behind the role

Esmeralda is the Toledo Truth Teller’s steely gatekeeper, and viewers immediately want to know who plays her. The actor is Sabrina Impacciatore, an Emmy-nominated Italian performer best known to U.S. audiences for The White Lotus Season 2. On The Paper, Esmeralda is the managing editor of the Truth Teller, protective of her turf, and often at odds with new editor Ned Sampson, friction that drives the show’s workplace comedy while nodding to real local-news pressures.

The series itself lives inside The Office universe and streams on Peacock, with the mockumentary crew shifting its lens from paper sales to paper news. Esmeralda’s bite, bravado, and survival instinct give the newsroom its sharp edges, and Impacciatore’s track record suggests those edges will cut. Below is a quick guide to the actor behind Esmeralda, how the character functions inside the show, and where you’ve seen Impacciatore before.

Who plays Esmeralda on The Paper? Meet Sabrina Impacciatore

Esmeralda Grand is played by Sabrina Impacciatore, a Rome-born actor with decades of stage, TV, and film work in Italy and a breakout U.S. turn as Valentina in The White Lotus Season 2. She earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for that role and shared a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Ensemble win with the White Lotus cast.

Sabrina Impacciatore trained partly with a coach from the Actors Studio. Early career in Italian theater and variety TV. Italian film highlights include Napoleon and Me and Miss F, with David di Donatello nominations. U.S. recognition surged with The White Lotus (Emmy nominee; SAG Ensemble winner). On NBC/Peacock’s The Paper, she joins The Office universe as Esmeralda.

As per the Vulture report dated September 4, 2025, Sabrina Impacciatore stated,

“I started with theater, studying with Italian teachers and then with a coach from the Actors Studio who had come to Rome.”

She also remarked,

“Before my Paper audition…I watched the whole show,”

Describing how she binge-watched The Office to prepare. Esmeralda is designed as a status-savvy foil to Ned. Casting an actor who can play bravado and vulnerability helps the character's power episode engines without heavy spoilers. Impacciatore’s comic timing from The White Lotus and long Italian resume are the reasons her Esmeralda feels sharp from the pilot onward.

Esmeralda Grand on The Paper: job, personality, and dynamic with Ned

Esmeralda is the Truth Teller’s managing editor. She thrives on quick-hit, surface-level web stories and guards her influence. Ned’s arrival as editor-in-chief threatens that status. Their push-pull sets the series’ tone as the documentary crew watches a small newsroom try to reinvent itself.

As per the Peacock Blog report dated September 5, 2025, Sabrina Impacciatore stated Esmeralda, “wants to live the American dream,” and described her as “bossy” and “manipulative” because she’s in “survivor mode.” Use that frame, motives, not malice, to read her choices.

Practically for viewers, Esmeralda’s resistance becomes a story engine: episodes pair her territorial streak with Ned’s idealism, producing conflicts over assignments, site priorities, and office politics, while staying spoiler-light for Season 1.

Where you’ve seen Sabrina Impacciatore before: credits and awards

U.S. recognition: The White Lotus Season 2 (Valentina) brought a Primetime Emmy nomination and a SAG Award for Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series. Italian career: festival-grade and popular titles include Napoleon and Me and Miss F (David di Donatello nominations), plus comedies like Amiche da morire. Early U.S. exposure includes The Passion of the Christ. The Paper sits inside The Office universe and streams on Peacock. That connection helps viewers place Esmeralda’s mockumentary tone within a familiar comic frame.

Stay tuned for more updates.