How did Michael Emerson and Carrie Preston meet? Relationship explored 

Michael Emerson and Carrie Preston are a fan favorite in the entertainment industry for more than just their acting career, they are also known for their decade-long relationship. Their romantic journey supposedly began in the theater world.

The couple met in the mid-1990s, when both were working on a production of Hamlet at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Emerson, who at the time was a student at the conservatory, played Guildenstern, while Preston flew in from New York to play Ophelia.

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Michael Emerson’s charm and quiet romantic gestures stood out from the beginning. Preston remembers leaving fresh flowers and baskets of peaches, picked from his own tree, at her dressing room door.

"Before I knew it, there were little vases of fresh flowers and baskets of peaches waiting outside my door. Michael had a peach tree. He was very romantic." Carrie Preston said.

There was instant chemistry, and eventually their relationship led to a marriage. Over time, their careers took them in different directions, and they spent long periods of time living apart. Emerson had spent years shooting Lost in Hawaii, which Preston terms as the island that "stole my husband."

The couple has also worked together in several series and movies. Their most well-known collaboration is the mother/son duo in Lost, a couple in Person of Interest, or most recently, a pair of adversaries in CBS' Elsbeth.

A look into Michael Emerson’s career as he opens up about a difficult shooting scene with his wife

Michael Emerson was born and raised in Hearne, Texas. He graduated from Drake University in 1976 with a bachelor's degree in Theatre Arts and moved to New York City to pursue acting.

According to the What About Michael Emerson Blog, Emerson had difficulty finding work early in his career and worked retail jobs and freelanced for publications like The Boston Globe and The New York Times.

He eventually earned an MFA from the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in 1995. He made his name in 1997 as Oscar Wilde in the off-Broadway play Gross Indecency. Emerson won an Emmy Award in 2001 for his guest appearance as William Hinks in The Practice.

Outside of television, Emerson has performed voice work for audiobooks and radio plays, which include the works of Neil Gaiman and Robert Penn Warren.

In Elsbeth, Michael Emerson plays the corrupt judge, Milton Crawford. According to the couple, filming the actual scene of his character’s death was particularly tough on Carrie Preston because the two are married in real life, making the already intense scene even more emotional to film.

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