There seems to be an evolution at major awards shows, with more and more of them doing away with the traditional gendered acting categories. While the Academy Awards still puts up awards for Best Actor and Best Actress, with Will Smith and Jessica Chastain respectively winning those Oscars earlier this year, gendered categories are starting to become a thing of the past as seen with other awards shows. We saw this at the Gotham Independent Film Awards on Monday which combined the formerly separate acting categories into single categories for Outstanding Performance.
For her Yellowjackets role, Melanie Lynskey was nominated at the Gothams for Outstanding Performance in a New Series, an award that ultimately went to This Is Going to Hurt’s Ben Whishaw. Speaking with Variety at the event, Lynskey was asked about the topic of genderless acting awards after seeing the new nomination process in action. Lynskey says she’s in full support of going in this direction, feeling that categories like Best Actor and Best Actress now feel outdated.
“I love it. I don’t think… It’s starting to feel very old-fashioned, you know, basing things (on gender). And I also think there are people who are nonbinary, there are cast members on my show who are nonbinary, and I don’t want them to have to be forced into a category that they don’t feel they belong in. So, yeah, I think it’s great.”
Will the Oscars Follow the Lead of the Gothams?
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There have recently been reports that other awards shows, such as the Oscars and BAFTAs, are considering switching to gender-neutral categories for acting. It’s a topic that has been getting increased attention lately, which includes Emma Corrin calling for the change to happen at the Oscars and similar shows. Corrin previously won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Emmy for their role in The Crown, but the performer recently told BBC News that accepting awards in gender-specific categories like Best Actress makes them feel uncomfortable.
“I hope for a future in which that happens,” Corrin said. “I don’t think the categories are inclusive enough at the moment. It’s about everyone being able to feel acknowledged and represented. It’s difficult for me at the moment trying to justify in my head being non-binary and being nominated in female categories.”
Other efforts are being made elsewhere in pop culture to help those who identify as non-binary to feel represented. Just recently, this includes the debut of a non-binary robot in Transformers: EarthSpark. Star Trek: Discovery has also introduced the sci-fi franchise’s first transgender and non-binary characters. But Corrin, Lynskey, and others are still hoping to see these efforts of inclusion extend beyond the scripting and the casting and into the actual awards shows.
