Emma Watson stole the MTV Movie & TV Award show on Sunday after giving an acceptance speech that left the entire audience inspired beyond words.
Watson won the award for Best Actor for her portrayal of Belle in “Beauty and the Beast.” This year, MTV made all the award categories genderless in an effort to be more inclusive. Watson, who is known to be outspoken on gender rights, pointed out this important change in her speech.
“MTV’s move to create a genderless award for acting will mean something different to everyone, but to me it indicates that acting is about the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes ― and that doesn’t need to be separated into two different categories. Empathy, and the ability to use your imagination, should have no limits.”
Watson continued her speech by addressing that her win was more than just about her acting skills. Instead, she believed she won the award due to Belle’s inspiring persona and what her character represents as a whole.
“More seriously, I think I’m being given this award because of who Belle is and what she represented. The village in our fairytale wanted to make Belle believe that our world was smaller than the way she saw it — that her curiosity and her passion for knowledge were grounds for alienation. I loved playing someone who didn’t listen to any of that. I’m so proud to be a part of a film that celebrates diversity, literacy, inclusion, joy, and love the way that this one does.”
Watson’s speech left the audience and TV viewers excited and in awe. There to present the first gender neutral categorized award was “Billion” breakout star Asia Kate Dillon, whom is also recognized as the first non-binary identifying actor casted on a major television show. Honored to be a part of MTV’s groundbreaking change, Dillon applauded MTV for having a conversation engaged and acknowledged in a rule-stricken society.“The culture at large is starting to accept the fact that gender is a spectrum and that we need to be celebrating performances free of any gender distinctions, so that the work can stand on its own,” Dillon told THR. “I’m really proud of MTV for continuing to do what they’ve always done best, which is move the pop culture needle forward, which extends to culture at large and creates visibility and representation in a time when it’s so so needed.”
MTV was further praised on the red carpet before the show even started. “Teen Wolf” star Tyler Posey told The Hollywood Reporter, “MTV is always progressing themselves and pushing the envelope and I think this is the first time that an award show has done something like that. MTV is always the first one to do something unique and special, and I think they’re just following suit with what they do. And this means a lot to a lot of people nowadays, so why not?”
Following suit with the show being a show of firsts, The Fast and the Furious was the first franchise (rather than an individual) to win the Generation Award, with stars Vin Diesel, Tyrese Gibson, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster on hand to accept.
Millie Bobby Brown, who played the character Eleven on the show “Stranger Things,” melted hearts after receiving the award for Best Actor in a Show. The star broke down in tears when thanking the cast and crew for “being her second family,” and sobbed “I wanna thank my family and my mum and dad for being supportive.”
After that tearful speech, Jharrell Jerome and Ashton Sanders inspired the audience again by focusing on minority performers. The duo accepted the award for Best Kiss for their embrace in the movie “Moonlight.” They brought an infectious energy to their speech, with Jerome saying “I think it is safe to say that it is okay for us young performers, especially us minority performers, to step out of the box. I think it’s okay to step out of the box and do whatever it takes to tell the story and make a change.” After rapturous applause and whoops from the audience Sanders added, “this is for those who feel like the others, the misfits; this represents us.”
Winners were selected from fan voting that was conducted online, and the audience enjoyed performances from stars like Noah Cyrus, Big Sean and Pitbull. The MTV Movie & TV Awards were hosted this year by “Workaholics” comedian Adam DeVine and was held at the Shrine Auditorium in Lost Angeles.
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