If the 67th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, held Sept. 20 in Los Angeles, aren’t known for anything else, it may be reognized for its diversity—especially with African-American women.
In a historic win, Viola Davis became the first African-American to win the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama for portraying a law-school professor/defense attorney in ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder. Her speech became one of the most buzzed-about moments of the award ceremony, as Davis said, “The only thing that separates women of color from anyone is opportunity. You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there.” She also quoted Harriet Tubman and thanked African-American actresses such as fellow nominee Taraji P. Henson (Empire), Kerry Washington, Halle Berry and Gabrielle Union for helping to push boundaries.
However, Davis wasn’t the only African-American woman to win, as Orange Is the New Black’s Uzo Aduba prevailed in the Supporting Actress Drama category and American Crime’s Regina King won for Supporting Actress in a Limited Series Or Movie. Aduba become the second in history to win a Best Actor or Actress Emmy in both the drama and comedy categories because of the Netflix series’ switch to dramatic competition for 2015 (following, as host Andy Samberg pointed out, in the footsteps of Ed Asner).
Allison Janney also pulled off an “Ed Asner” of her own later in the evening, tying the legendary TV actor with her seventh win (out of 10 nominations). Her Sept. 20 victory was for her role in the comedy Mom.
LGBT individuals and LGBT-themed projects were also victorious. HBO’s Olive Kitteridge won six awards, including including best limited series as well as awards for lead actress Frances McDormand, lead actor Richard Jenkins and supporting actor Bill Murray. Lesbian director Lisa Cholodenko (who helmed the big-screen film The Kids Are All Right) also took home an Emmy.
Jill Soloway won for outstanding comedy director for the “Best New Girl” episode of Transparent. Soloway asked the audience to vote to pass a trans-equality measure. (The TransEquality.org website crashed immediately following Soloway’s appearance, TheWrap noted.) Also, Jeffrey Tambor won for Best Actor in a Comedy for his role on the transgender-themed show, while Bradley Whitford prevailed in the Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series category.
Elsewhere, it was a night of repeats, as Game of Thrones racked up a record 12 wins—the most for a show ever in a single year. Also, Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep) won for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series of the fourth time. However, it was a first victory for Jon Hamm, who won for Best Actor in a Drama for portraying Don Draper on the series Mad Men, which had its final season this year.
Windy City Times