Backlash as Emma scoops new ‘genderless’ gong
SHE has long championed women’s rights, but yesterday Emma Watson was branded “annoying” after winning the first gender-neutral prize at the MTV TV & Movie Awards.
The actress picked up the best big-screen actor gong for her role as Belle in Beauty And The Beast, seeing off competition from male stars including James McAvoy and Hugh Jackman.
Accepting the award, 27-yearold Emma said: “MTV’s move to create a genderless award 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. This is very meaningful to me.”
The MTV awards are not the first to introduce gender-neutral categories.
The Grammys scrapped male and female prizes in 2011.
But, while her words were warmly received at the ceremony in Los Angeles at the weekend, not everyone was impressed.
On Twitter, Lorraine Martin wrote: “Emma Watson is very annoying – PC gone absolutely crazy.”
Sam Bates agreed: “Hit the nail on the head Emma Watson is annoying!! Worse things to be worried about right now than gender in awards.” Emma, who found fame as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films, also collected the movie of the year award for Beauty And The Beast, beating rivals Get Out, Logan and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
The Disney film’s director, Bill Condon, said: “Thank you to the audience who embraced this movie so much.
“But especially to the women, because women are proving that they are a huge and powerful audience and that’s going to change the movie business.”
Another British winner on the night was 13-year-old Millie Bobby Brown, who won best actor in a TV show for her character Eleven in Netflix science fiction drama Stranger Things.