Photo: Jon Kopaloff/Getty
Liv Hewsonwill be sitting out a potentialEmmynomination this year.
TheYellowjacketsactor — who plays the teenage version of Vanessa “Van” Palmer on the hit Showtime thriller — toldVarietyin a recent interview that they don’t plan to submit themselves for Emmy consideration due to the award show’s gendered categories.
“There’s not a place for me in the acting categories,” said Hewson, 27, who is nonbinary. “It would be inaccurate for me to submit myself as an actress. It neither makes sense for me to be lumped in with the boys.”
“It’s quite straightforward and not that loaded,” they continued. “I can’t submit myself for this because there’s no space for me.”
Hewson isn’t the first actor to make such a move. Earlier this year,Broadway performer Justin David Sullivan— a principal cast member in the Max Martin jukebox musical& Juliet— withdrew fromTony Awardsconsiderationinstead of competing in a gendered awards category.
“I was told that I had to choose [the category in which] I felt comfortable, and in that process, I struggled a lot,” the performer toldPlaybillin a statement. “There’s nothing more that I want to empower than nonbinary people, to show that it’s possible to be nonbinary on Broadway, play a non-binary character on Broadway and be nominated, and possibly potentially awarded. I felt like I couldn’t choose. I didn’t feel right being in either category because it didn’t resonate with me.”
“I decided the only thing that felt right to me would be to abstain from nomination consideration,” Sullivan added to the outlet. “So I will not be considered for a Tony nomination.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Colin Bentley/SHOWTIME
Also known for their roles inNetflix’s zombie comedySanta Clarita Dietand the streaming giant’s 2019 romantic comedyLet It Snow, Hewson has portrayed the teenage version of Van inYellowjacketssince it premiered in fall 2021.
Lynskey, 45, previouslyshared her interest in seeing an adult Vanenter the equation — and learning what happened to her.
Yellowjacketsflashes back and forth between a group of high-school soccer players in their teens and as adults as they experience and then deal with the psychological aftermath of being stranded in the Canadian wilderness for 19 months following a plane crash.
RELATED VIDEO:Let It Snow’s Liv Hewson Feels “Lucky” to Portray an LGBTQ Character in a Netflix Holiday Film
Back in 2019, Hewson told PEOPLE that they felt “lucky” to portray an LGBTQ character inLet It Snow.
“I loved the opportunity to just play a character, but within the universe of such a cultural staple:holiday romantic comedies,” the actor said.
They added, “It was something where I read the script and I was like, ‘Oh, damn, this will be fun.’ And also, it would’ve been nice if I’d seen something like that when I was younger.”
“So I definitelyfelt lucky to be able to do that,” Hewson said.
New episodes ofYellowjacketsseason 2 air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime.
source: people.com
