It was Emmy-winning actor John Leguizamo who acknowledged the diverse list of nominees at last night’s Emmys Awards.
“I’m one of Hollywood’s DEI hires,” he said, referencing the term that usually stands for “diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
“That’s right, DEI. The ‘D’ is for diligence, the ‘E’ is for excellence, the ‘I’ is for imagination. And everyone in this room tonight has dedicated their lives to diligence, excellence and imagination, so we are all DEI hires. What a beautiful diverse group this is tonight.”
“I didn’t know that people like me could be actors,” he said of his childhood in Queens. “At 15, I didn’t know the word representation … but I saw a lot of brown face … Everybody played us, except us. I didn’t see a lot of people on TV that looked like me … And that’s how we saw ourselves, because that’s all we saw of ourselves.”
“For years I didn’t complain about the limited roles my people were offered … Turns out not complaining doesn’t change anything. So for the past few years, I’ve been complaining,” he added, remembering “the open letter to the Television Academy he published in The New York Times in which he urged his peers to nominate artists of color across all categories.”
He praised this year’s “most diverse list of nominees” including his “incredibly talented Latinx brothers and sisters.”
“We need more stories from excluded groups: Black, Jewish, Arab, LGBTQ+ and disabled. And this show tonight is proof that our industry is making progress,” he concluded.
Included in the night of diversity was The Bear star Liza Colón-Zayas becoming the first Latina to win Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy…
…Shogun star Anna Sawai becoming the first actor of Asian descent to win Best Actress in a Drama…
…and Baby Reindeer star Nava Mau becoming the first Latina trans nominee in the Best Supporting Actress category. Mau shared an emotional moment with Laverne Cox on the red carpet, who was the first openly trans person to be nominated for an Emmy.
“Ten years ago I became the first openly transgender person to be nominated for an acting Emmy, and 10 years later I’m not the last,” Cox said through tears.
“I think that what we’ve been fighting for in the community is to be able to tell stories that come from the heart and that are based from a human foundation. Because that’s who we are as trans people. We are human first and foremost,” Mau said, adding praise for Baby Reindeer:
“Yes, it’s an LGBTQ show; it’s a show that has a trans character on it, and it’s also a really good show, and it’s something I’m very proud of.”
Reservation Dogs star D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai was also nominated for the first time this year for Best Actor in a Comedy for his role on the show. He walked the red carpet with a red handprint painted over his mouth to represent missing and murdered Indigenous women.
#ReservationDogs‘ D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai hits the 76th #Emmys red carpet pic.twitter.com/gCzGeAsVp9
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) September 15, 2024