At the 76th Emmy Awards on Sunday, Hollywood’s most decorated stars and up-and-comers alike graced the red carpet and stage for a televised series of wins, snubs and memorable personal expressions. And though the show might have been considered “snoozy” to some, it was a night that saw historic breakthroughs and acts of resistance against the white, cis hetero patriarchy that has historically owned Hollywood.
Here are some of the many pivotal moments from Sunday’s show.
‘Shōgun’ swept the Emmys — and the English-only haters.
The FX series won big with 18 awards — the most won by a single season of a show — including the coveted title of Outstanding Drama Series. But this win is marked by something much more symbolic. Roughly 70% of the show, which takes place in feudal Japan, is in Japanese, marking the first time a non-English-speaking show has won the best in drama award at the Emmys.
It’s easy to cast ”Shōgun” as a gamble or risk that just so happened to pay off; even the showrunners were surprised that it had made it this far. But its win has exposed a universal truth: Great shows come from great storytelling. The sweep was a triumphant middle finger to the notion that great art relies on Americentrism to solicit eyeballs and awards.
D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai raised awareness of missing and murdered Indigenous people.
Woon-A-Tai, who is of Oji-Cree descent, was nominated for best actor in a comedy series for his role on “Reservation Dogs.” Though he didn’t win (he should have, if you ask us), he created his own meaningful moment by arriving at the Emmys with red face paint in the shape of a hand over his mouth. The symbol is a protest of violence against Indigenous women and two-spirit people in the U.S. and Canada.
According to a recent study, more than 80% of the community has experienced some form of violence in their lifetimes, with over half experiencing sexual violence. It’s an epidemic that the media has historically remained silent about, which makes Woon-A-Tai’s gesture at one of Hollywood’s and media’s biggest stages all the more consequential and a horrific reality that must be reckoned with.
John Leguizamo proclaimed his pride at being one of ‘Hollywood’s DEI hires.’
The actor delivered an impassioned speech celebrating Hollywood’s progress with representation while calling for more investment in untold stories from excluded groups. In June, Leguizamo took out a full-page ad in The New York TimesClick Here to Read the Full Original Article at TV & Film…