The call for gender-neutral film awards is gaining traction. The Crown‘s Emma Corrin has stated that the best actor and best actress awards at the several film award ceremonies throughout the year should be combined into a single, gender-neutral category.
Corrin, who identifies as non-binary, said, “I hope for a future in which that happens. I don’t think the categories are inclusive enough at the moment. It’s about everyone being able to feel acknowledged and represented.” Both BAFTA and the Academy have said that they are currently considering such a proposal.
They have been the recipient of a Golden Globe and were previously nominated for an Emmy award for their role in The Crown as Princess Diana. However, at the time, Corrin had still been using she/her pronouns. This year, Corrin is featured in two long-anticipated movies in the shape of Lady Chatterley’s Lover and My Policeman.
Corrin continued, “It’s difficult for me at the moment trying to justify in my head being non-binary and being nominated in female categories. When it comes to categories, do we need to make it specific as to whether you’re being nominated for a female role or a male role?”
They added, “You can discuss awards and the representation there, but really the conversation needs to be about having more representation in the material itself. When those parts come up, meaning more people and more actors are playing those roles, then I think there will be more of an urgency with which these questions will be addressed.”
Likely, it won’t be long before the awards organisations make a statement on their intentions as the discussion surrounding gender-neutral awards categories is constantly growing. The Grammy music awards went gender-neutral as far back as 2012, combining the previous male and female solo awards into one category. The Brit Awards followed suit this year.
