“There’s not a place for me in the acting categories,” they said.
Liv Hewson is an Australian actor well-known for their roles in the television series Santa Clarita Diet and Dramaworld. They currently star in the thrilling Showtime drama Yellowjackets as the team’s goalie, Van Palmer. The series received rave reviews for its casting and twisted plot about survival and trauma. In fact, it has a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. With the show attracting becoming a hit after just one season, it’s no surprise many of the Yellowjackets actors were being recognized for Emmy consideration. However, the gendered categories have led Hewson to pull their name from the race.
The non-binary actor told Variety they would not be in the running for a Primetime Emmy Award because “there’s not a place for me in the acting categories.”
“It would be inaccurate for me to submit myself as an actress,” they continued. “It neither makes sense for me to be lumped in with the boys. It’s quite straightforward and not that loaded.
“I can’t submit myself for this because there’s no space for me.”
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A Call For Inclusion
This is not the first time an actor has advocated for gender-neutral categories for award ceremonies. Emma Corrin spoke out about the need for inclusive categories following their nominations and wins for their role in The Crown. At the time, Corrin went by she/her pronouns and was recognized as an actress. Since coming out as nonbinary, they said, “It’s difficult for me at the moment trying to justify in my head being nonbinary and being nominated in female categories.”
Considering The Grammys have been gender-neutral for a decade, the film industry is very slow to catch up. In addition to The Emmys, The Oscars and The Golden Globes still separate their categories by gender. Currently, actors can choose to have their statuette read “performer” and can choose which category to throw their name into.
When approached about the idea that gender-neutral categories will have the award shows favoring men, Hewson immediately disagreed. “There is an implied fatalism there, which suggests that we’ve all agreed that equality is impossible. And that’s sad.
“We’re not going to start awarding best female and male director, or female or male cinematographer,” they continued. “Because we all understand that implicitly would be insulting. You can keep things as they are right now — I just won’t be participating.”
Hewson said their Yellowjackets family has been extremely supportive of their decision, and they hope Hollywood will continue to listen to these conversations.
“It’s worth talking about. And I very gently and respectfully ask that people get their gears turning a little.”
New episodes of Yellowjackets season two will premiere every Friday on Showtime.
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