Keivonn Montreal Woodard has made history with his Emmy nomination.Photo:Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
The Last of Usactor Keivonn Montreal Woodard has madeEmmy Awardshistory.
On Wednesday, the 10-year-old actor scored anEmmy nominationfor outstanding guest actor in a drama series for his role as apocalypse survivor Sam Burrell in the HBO hit drama — becoming the youngest actor to ever do so in the category.
The talented young performer is also the first ever Black Deaf actor to garner a nomination, according toDeadline.
“Don’t worry about it, and just go ahead and try to act your best. Yes, it was hard with the facial expressions and learning how to [interpret the script for American Sign Language], but I think it’s really important to also learn to listen to your production team and to collaborate with them. I got in, and so can you,” he added to Deadline, nothing that is he aware of the “importance and huge impact” of his nomination as a young Black Deaf actor.
Woodard as Sam Burrell in The Last of Us.Liane Hentscher/HBO
Liane Hentscher/HBO
Woodard also received praise on social media from celebrated actressMarlee Matlin, who has beendeaf since she was 18 months oldafter a childhood illness.
“Congratulations to first time Deaf actor Keivonn Montreal Woodard for being the youngest Emmy nominee as Guest Actor for @TheLastofUsHBO,” wrote Matlin, 57. “As the youngest Best Actress winner myself for an Oscar, my hands are waving in the air for you!”
Matlin won the Best Actress Oscar in 1987 at the age of 21. At the time she was the first Deaf person to win an Oscar. HerCODAcostarTroy Kotsurbecame the first Deaf man to win an acting Oscar when he took home theBest Supporting Actor awardin 2022.
Marlee Matlin praised Woodard on social media for his Emmy nomination.Rich Fury/Getty
Rich Fury/Getty
Keivonn’s mom April Jackson-Woodard also told Deadline how she had been flooded with messages after her son’s nomination was announced, including from hisLast of UscostarBella Ramsey.
“People kept sending messages, and I cried immediately because I never thought or dreamed it would happen to my son,” she said. “You know, I never even considered it. After Keivonn got the role, I asked myself, ‘How do I even prepare my life?’ It wasn’t easy, especially as a Black Deaf mother and also being a widow. I was trying to take care of everything on my own, but he would say, ‘Mom, I got this.’ And he did."
Sharing how supportive 19-year-old Ramsey, who uses they/the pronoun, and fellow costarPedro Pascalwere on the set, Keivonn revealed to Deadline: “Bella really became like a big sister, [they] knew [a bit of] British Sign Language, so [they] also picked up some American Sign Language as well, without the interpreter. Pedro, he was able to [receptively] understand and give hugs and [friendly] gestures.
But he says it was Lamar Johnson, who plays his older brother Henry Burrell (a.k.a. “the most wanted man in Kansas”), who became like family off screen.
“Lamar, we were almost like brothers. We would play video games and chat using technology,” he said. “A lot of [the cast] learned sign language, even though we didn’t ask anybody to do anything. It was an amazing experience. A good representation of what the world should be, everybody, interacting and communicating regardless of anything.”
Johnson, 28, has also received a nomination in the guest actor in a drama series category for his appearances in the fourth and fifth episodes of season 1, and fellow guest actorsNick Offerman, 53, andMurray Bartlett, 52, received nominations for their work in episode 3, “Long, Long Time.”
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The Last of Us, which can be streamed in full on Max, scored17 nominationstotal. The 75th annual Primetime Emmy Awards will broadcast live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Sept. 18.
source: people.com
