Yellowjackets Star Explains Why They Won’t Partake in Emmy Season

Yellowjackets is currently in the midst of its second season on Showtime, and it’s likely the show will get some Emmy nominations for the upcoming September ceremony. The show received some nominations last year, and many fans expect to see Melanie Lynskey’s name in the Lead Actress category again, and she may not be the only one. However, there is one actor whose name you won’t be seeing on the list of nominees: Liv Hewson, who plays young Van Palmer in the series. Hewson is non-binary and recently opened up to Variety about opting to sit out of the Emmys due to only having male and female categories. 

“There’s not a place for me in the acting categories,” Hewson shared. “It would be inaccurate for me to submit myself as an actress. 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.”

Hewson is not the first actor to speak out against the gendered categories at awards ceremonies. Back in 2020, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum’s Asia Kate Dillion penned an open letter to the SAG Awards requesting they remove gender-specific categories. “Separating people based on their assigned sex, and/or their gender identity, is not only irrelevant when it comes to how an acting performance should be judged, it is also a form of discrimination,” they wrote. 

While some non-binary actors are choosing to opt out of awards season, others are still contenders. Emma D’Arcy, who plays Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon, is also non-binary, but they are still a frontrunner to get a nomination for Best Actress at the Emmys this year. When they were nominated in the same category at the Golden Globes back in January, they spoke to E! News about the “ironic” nomination. 

“It’s kind of a surreal thing because when I was starting out, I really felt that I had to pretend, to present as a woman in order to find success in this industry,” D’Arcy explained. “Anyway, it wasn’t sustainable, and I stopped pretending, and weirdly, it’s at that point that I got nominated for Best Actress at the Golden Globes. Which is beautifully ironic. I think the most important thing is that it implies that the space for trans people and gender-nonconforming people is getting bigger all the time. So, I feel very privileged.”

Do you think gendered categories should change at awards ceremonies? Tell us in the comments.