LOS ANGELES, Sept 15 (Askume) – Hollywood celebrated a diverse list of nominees and winners for television’s top honors at the Emmy Awards on Sunday, celebrating the success of Latino, LGBTQ+ and Japanese talent and stories.
Disney’s (DIS.N) “Shogun” won a record number of Emmy Awards in a single season, winning the top prize for best drama series.
Japanese actors Anna Sawai and Hiroyuki Sanada won Best Actor and Actor awards for “Shogun”, and Frederick Eo Toei won Best Director for a Drama Series for the drama.
The show also won 14 trophies at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, a prequel program that honors guest stars and arts such as cinematography and production design.
The show has attracted the attention of many Japanese artists, as the show is primarily Japanese-speaking. After winning the award for Best TV Series, Sanada expressed his gratitude in Japanese.
One notable Latina winner is Bears star Lisa Colon-Zayas, who plays a chef named Tina Marrero.
Colon-Zayas won the Best Supporting Actress award, beating out industry veterans Meryl Streep and Carol Burnett.
“And to all the Latinos who are looking at me. Have faith and vote. Vote for your rights,” Colon-Zayas said in his acceptance speech.
Actor and comedian John Leguizamo echoed her thoughts when describing the lack of opportunities during his Hollywood career.
Leguizamo calls himself a “DEI hire,” referring to D for diligence, E for excellence, and I for imagination.
Overall, DEI stands for “diversity, equity, and inclusion,” and these initiatives help increase the representation of historically marginalized communities. Vice President Kamala Harris has been charged with leading DEI appointments since her nomination for president.
Leguizamo recalled his childhood, saying, “Everybody played with us except us. I didn’t see a lot of people on TV who looked like me.”
He added, “We need more stories about marginalised communities, Black, Asian, Jewish, Arab, LGBTQ+ and people with disabilities. Tonight’s show is proof that our industry is making progress.”
Host Mexican actor Diego Luna also spoke in Spanish and reminded the audience that 50 million people in the United States speak Spanish.
For Governors Award winner Greg Berlanti, the focus on inclusion and diversity was also an important aspect of the ceremony.
The Governor’s Award is presented to a person, company, or organization that has made “a profound, transformative and lasting contribution to the art and/or science of television.”
Actor and host Joshua Jackson said: “‘Dawson’s Creek’ made TV history because Greg was the first writer-producer to show a gay kiss between two teenagers on prime time. And I remember it was in 2000.
Berlanti is a successful show host, having hosted over 45 shows and 20 scripted series simultaneously on the air and setting television records.
He described himself as a “closeted gay kid” and gave an emotional speech expressing gratitude to his late mother and in particular to her husband Robbie Rogers.
“At the time, the only way to tell if a kid was gay was if he or she had also watched ‘Dynasty’ and ‘Dallas’ and could name all four Golden Girls.”
He got a standing ovation.
Similarly, actor Jodie Foster ended her acceptance speech by thanking wife Alexandra Hedison for winning Best Actress in a Limited Series for her performance in True Detective: Night Country.
Actor Nava Maui also received a special Emmy honor.
Mexican “baby reindeer” actor Maui has also joined the cast, following in the footsteps of black actor Laverne Cox, the first openly transgender person to be nominated for an acting Emmy.
Mao became the first transgender woman to be nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her performance on the Netflix show.
