Sandra Oh’s nomination just made Emmy history for Asian women
Hollywood history has just been made.
Sandra Oh is the first Asian actress to earn an Emmy nomination for Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
And we are chuffed for her, to say the least.
#SandraOh has made #Emmys history! The actress is the first woman of Asian descent to be nominated in the Lead Actress category for her work in #KillingEve. Tune into the #EmmyAwards this September to see if she'll take home the golden statue! // #HollywoodFirstLookFeatures pic.twitter.com/tXhtKcql8R
— HollywoodFLF (@HollywoodFLF) July 12, 2018
Oh is nominated for her role as agent Eve Polastri in BBC America’s spy drama, Killing Eve.
Nominations for the 70th annual Emmy Awards were announced on Thursday, July 12th.
Along with Oh, the lead actress category includes Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale), Claire Foy (The Crown), Evan Rachel Wood (Westworld), Keri Russell (The Americans), and Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black).
i’m so proud of #SandraOh she did this without falling into a typecast stereotype- i hate the portrayal of Asian women as weak and submissive, just as much as i hate a latina portrayed as curvy with a temper-More Roles for Women of Colour, please!
— jenny (@trash_and_art) July 13, 2018
However, this is not Sandra's first Emmy nod. She has racked up a fab five Emmy nominations as Best Supporting Actress for her role as Cristina Yang in Grey’s Anatomy.
Sandra has spoken in the past about how important representation is on television.
She gave an interview to Elle magazine where she discussed how this is such a pivotal time in Hollywood right now.
''I realised how deep the internalization was. I’ve done a lot of work, I’ve worked consistently; and in that moment, 30 years into working this industry, it really rocked me.”
“That is how challenging it is: It’s not just, ‘I can’t get a audition,’ because that’s true, but it’s also internal. That’s still the dragon that I am trying to mount and ride,'' she added.
GIVE SANDRA OH THE EMMY SHE DESERVED YEARS AGO https://t.co/pnf0bZcXPh
— KB (@KaraRBrown) July 12, 2018
Social media was understandably excited for Sandra, with one user tweeting, ''Sandra Oh is a hero who created the legendary Cristina Yang. After Grey’s Anatomy she didn't’t receive any decent offers for four years. She’s never won an Emmy. No Asian actress has. She’s deserves it.''
Let's hope that Sandra takes home the gong at the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards, which are taking place on September 17th.
