Non-binary actor Liv Hewson, who uses the pronouns “she/it,” will not be submitting to Primetime Emmy Awards due to gendered acting categories.
The artist is being considered for their role as Vanessa ‘Van’ Palmer in the Showtime psychological drama, Yellowjackets, which earned seven nominations last year.
“There’s no place for me in the acting categories,” the Australian actor, best known for his role as Abby Hammond on the Netflix series Santa Clarita Diet from 2017 to 2019, told Variety of their decision.
The 27-year-old performer, who became non-binary at 16, went on to explain that “it would be inaccurate if I submitted myself as an actress” or “got lumped in with the boys.”
“It’s pretty simple and not that loaded. I can’t subject myself to this because there’s no room for me,” Hewson insisted.
Making a statement: Non-binary actor Liv Hewson, who uses the pronouns “she/it,” will not be submitting to Primetime Emmy Awards due to gendered acting categories (seen in February)
Breakout Role: The artist is being considered for their role as Vanessa ‘Van’ Palmer in Showtime’s hit psychological drama, Yellowjackets, which earned seven nominations last year (featured in season one, airing 2021)
While they may have a shot at being nominated this season, the outlet revealed in March that their name was one of a handful Showtime planned to submit for supporting drama actress.
Their castmates Christina Ricci, Savoy Brown, Samantha Hanratty, Sophie Thatcher and Courtney Eaton were also reportedly being submitted for the same category.
This year’s Film Independent Spirit Awards condensed their acting categories into Best Leading Actor and Supporting Performance categories, with Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan winning for Everything Everywhere All At Once, respectively.
Other awards shows have proposed giving genderless prizes to the top two winners in the main and supporting categories, with the hope that at least one woman will win in each category, although that is not guaranteed.
The topic of introducing gender-neutral categories has become increasingly common over the years, following a push from A-list celebrities such as Jamie Lee Curtis, whose daughter Ruby came out as transgender to her in 2020, and Emma Corrin.
Last month, Curtis flared up again to consider using genderless categories after winning an Oscar at the 95th Academy Awards.
“Of course I’d like to see a lot more women nominated so there’s gender equality in all areas and all industries, and I think we’re getting there,” she said. Peoplethough she noted that there was still a long way to go.
She continued, “We are nowhere near that. And then of course the inclusiveness is the bigger question, namely: how do you involve everyone when there are binary choices, which is very difficult.’
“There is no place for me in the acting categories,” the Australian actor, best known for her role as Abby Hammond in the Netflix series Santa Clarita Diet from 2017 to 2019, told Variety about their decision
Frustrating: The 27-year-old artist, who became non-binary at 16, went on to explain that “it would be inaccurate if I submitted myself as an actress” or “got lumped in with the guys”
“As a mother of a trans daughter, I totally understand that,” she said, referring to Ruby, who married her partner in 2022 with the True Lies star serving.
However, she noted that removing gender from the acting categories could have the unintended effect of significantly reducing the number of female winners, as voters are more likely to consolidate around men.
“And yet, to de-gender the category, I also worry [that] will narrow the opportunities for more women, something I have also worked hard to promote. So it’s a complicated question, but I think inclusiveness and more women are the most important.’
In November, Corrin, who identifies as non-binary and uses the pronouns she/they, stated that most award shows are not “inclusive enough” and said the change they hoped would allow everyone to feel “recognised and represented.” to feel.
Corrin said better representation within entertainment industry roles is needed to encourage “an urgency” to address the issue.
In 2022, Emma won a Golden Globe award for Best Actress for her performance as Princess Diana in series four of the hit Netflix drama.
Talking to the BBC Today programme on the possibility of gender-neutral categories at major awards shows, Emma said: ‘I hope for a future where that happens.
An Ally: In March, Curtis called again to consider using genderless categories after she won an Oscar at the 95th Academy Awards; seen last month
Pushing for change: In November, Corrin, who identifies as non-binary and uses the pronouns she/she, stated that most award shows aren’t “inclusive enough” (pictured in 2022)
“I think the categories are not inclusive enough at the moment. It’s about everyone feeling recognized and represented.’
The Crown star asked, “When it comes to categories, should we be specific about whether you’re being nominated for a female or male role?
“You can praise and discuss the representation there, but the conversation should really be about more representation in the material itself, in the content that we see for non-binary people, for queer people, for trans people, because then I think that would a lot will change.
“As those roles emerge, which means more people and more actors playing those roles, I think there will be more urgency to answer these questions.”
Emma has publicly identified as non-binary since 2021 and has publicly shared their journey with their gender identity on social media.
The thespian told The Today Program: “Your gender identity has so much to do with how you feel and it’s so much related to how you want to be seen or seen by people and that can be very triggering or make you uncomfortable if you don’t feel fair or correct being seen.
“I think it was necessary for me to be open and honest about it, because otherwise I would have felt that I was being misunderstood.”