Rewards without gender categories? Celebrity Debate

The nominees at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday were divided over the combination of Best Actor and Best Actress award categories.

LOS ANGELES — On the red carpet before the Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles on Sunday, the stars answered the usual questions. Were they excited to be here? Yes. How does it feel to be recognized? Amazing. What TV show would they like to guest star on? "The White Lotus."

But one question we posed made almost everyone stop, think for several seconds, then give a loud answer. voice, often with a caveat or pivot in the middle:

"Should major awards shows eliminate separate acting categories for male and female women ?" we asked.

The ongoing debate over gender neutral actor awards, which could also mean fewer nominations for everyone, is once again part of the conversation this awards season. In 2021, the Gotham Awards, which honor independent films, dropped separate acting categories for men and women. Last year, the Brit Awards, Britain's equivalent of the Grammys, merged their Best Male Artist and Best Female Artist of the Year categories into one gender-neutral award. And this year, the event faced backlash for not nominating any women for the award. The Grammy Awards eliminated many gender categories beginning with the 2012 ceremony.

Non-binary actors such as Emma Corrin, who are often forced to choose a category in which to be considered, called for gender-neutral award categories. Non-binary trans performer Justin David Sullivan of the Broadway musical '& Juliet' dropped his name from consideration when Tony Award eligibility decisions were announced earlier this month, bringing public pressure on prices. (The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which awards the Oscars, and the Television Academy, which administers the Emmy Awards, are studying gender-neutral categories, according to the Los Angeles Times. Nominees can already request gender-neutral wording. on their awards at both events.)

The immediate response from many SAG Awards attendees was a wish for the awards to be more inclusive.

"I think that's a positive thing," said Will Sharpe, who plays Ethan Spiller, the workaholic tech nerd married to Harper in Season 2 of "The White Lotus," which won TV's top prize for a drama series on Sunday night, noting that he thought it would "level the playing field."

ImageWill Sharpe from Season 2 of 'The White Lotus' at the SAG Awards. Credit...Aude Guerrucci/Reuters

"Why not?" said Michael Imperioli, who plays female Hollywood producer Dominic Di Grasso in "The White Lotus," about the combination of acting categories. "It's quite a great acting soup."

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