Emma Watson wins first-ever genderless acting award
Watson was presented with the award by 'Billions' star Aja Kate Dillon, the first gender non-binary actor to play a non-binary character on a major television show. (Entertainment Tonight/Inform)
Emma Watson poses in the press room with the award for best actor in a movie for "Beauty and the Beast" at the MTV Movie and TV Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on Sunday, May 7, 2017, in Los Angeles. (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
Emma Watson poses in the press room with the award for best actor in a movie for "Beauty and the Beast" at the MTV Movie and TV Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on Sunday, May 7, 2017, in Los Angeles. (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
Emma Watson poses in the press room after winning the award for best actor in a movie for "Beauty and the Beast" at the MTV Movie and TV Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on Sunday, May 7, 2017, in Los Angeles. ((Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
LOS ANGELES — Emma Watson had high praise for MTV’s move to remove gender qualifiers for its Movie and TV Awards.
In accepting the award for her role as Belle in Disney’s live-action version of “Beauty and the Beast” on Sunday night, Watson said “empathy and the ability to use your imagination should have no limits.”
The comments from the British actress won praise from many on social media, but drew a rebuke from Piers Morgan, the former CNN talk show host who now hosts “Good Morning Britain” on ITV.
Morgan said he couldn’t think of a better recipient than Watson, who he called a “flag bearer for all things gender neutral.” He says the genderless categories mean women will probably win fewer awards because “there’s more male actors.”
