Oh is a frontrunner to finally win that lead drama actress Emmy this year, for Season 2 of Killing Eve. And it’s about time—both for the actress, and for inclusion’s sake.
After all, there’s a reason why McKinnon and Thompson’s Emmy opener was meant to be so absurd last year. While some great strides have been made in TV (and, arguably much more than in film), there’s still so much work to be done when it comes to representation. And that’s especially true for Asian Americans and others of Asian descent (like Oh, who hails from Canada).
There have only been a handful of people of Asian heritage who have won the Emmy in an acting category. The Good Wife’s Archie Panjabi won supporting drama actress in 2010, while The Night Of’s Riz Ahmed won as lead actor in a limited series in 2017. Last year, Darren Criss won in that same category, for The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.
The issue, of course, is giving people of color awards-worthy roles in the first place. It was only four years ago that How to Get Away With Murder star Viola Davis became the first African American actress to win the drama actress Emmy.
“The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity,” Davis said in her acceptance speech. “You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there.”
It’s only recently that TV has opened the door to more major screen time for Asian actors and actresses. The Asian Pacific American Media Coalition recently announced its annual TV network report cards for the 2017-18 TV season, grading the four major broadcast networks on their progress toward full inclusion — and the results are mixed. ABC received the highest mark, a B grade, for the second year in a row. CBS earned a B- and NBC was given a C. (The coalition said Fox didn’t provide data or meet with it, and so gave it an F.)
Daniel M. Mayeda, who’s the chair of the group, tells Variety he’s nonetheless optimistic that the tide is turning. “The talent among Asian Americans is there,” he says. He points to the successes last year of Crazy Rich Asians, the Netflix film To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, and Oh on Killing Eve for providing more visibility.
“I’m optimistic, hopeful for progress,” Mayeda adds. “Now that Hollywood and the American public have gotten a glimpse of the enormous talent within the Asian American acting ranks, our chances of having award-contending performances will increase.”
– Courtesy: Variety.com
