Emma Watson praises MTV after winning first gender-neutral award
AP
The INSIDER Summary
- MTV made a big change to its movie and television awards this year.
- The show opted to change awards to gender-neutral categories.
- Emma Watson won the first award of the night for best actor.
- Watson said acting awards don't need to be separated in two different categories.
MTV made a big change to its movie and television awards this year by changing its show to honor actors and actresses equally with gender-neutral categories.
Emma Watson was the first person of the night to take home a gender-neutral award for best actor in "Beauty and the Beast." She received the award from "Billions" non-binary actor Asia Kate Dillon and took the opportunity to highlight how important it was to win the first acting award that doesn't separate women and men by categories.
"MTV's move to create a genderless award for acting will mean something different to everyone. But, to me, it indicates that acting is about the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes and that doesn't need to be separated in two different categories."
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"Empathy and the ability to use your imagination should have no limits. This is very meaningful to me, both to be winning the award, and to be receiving it from you, Asia. Thank you for educating me in such an inclusive, patient, and loving way."
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It's not the first awards show to have gender-neutral categories. The Grammys also doesn't have separate categories. In April, the "Billions" star wrote a letter to the Academy asking why the Emmys don't have genderless categories. In response, the Academy said actors are "free to choose the category they wish to enter."
You can watch part of Watson's speech below:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/6kjKOchCfRo
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