As a professed Scandal Obsessed Gladiator and loyal Kerry Washington fan since "Save the Last Dance", I was disappointed when she did not win an Emmy Sunday night. Kerry’s portrayal of "Olivia Pope" on ABC's "Scandal" is epic and her Emmy nomination was historic, so like most Scandal fans, I wanted her to win and went temporarily insane when she did not. As a result of my temporary insanity, I admit that I joined my fellow Gladiators and took to Twitter to vent my anger and disenchantment with Hollywood and the Television Academy. I created various hastags of craziness, including the obvious #KerryWasRobbed. However, with some time and sleep, I have realized that I was wrong last night. Kerry Washington, while exceptional, was not robbed. She was in a category with a number of fellow A-List actresses and the victor was a veteran Emmy winner whose talent, like Kerry's, is genuine and remarkable.
To state that Kerry Washington was robbed undermines the fact that Claire Danes is brilliant. Personally, I have been a Claire Danes fan for decades. I was a teenager when "My So-Called Life" was on ABC (and cancelled too soon) and it was the one of the first shows with which I, as Black female, could identify. Danes' "Angela Chase" gave me life. It made me understand myself and my irrational teenage emotions in a way that I had never comprehended prior to the show. While I never dyed my hair red, wore grunge clothes, or lived in a quaint suburban neighborhood with two parents, that show had a lasting and positive impact on my life. To this day, I still learn things about myself from watching repeats and the series is currently in my Netflix cue (I could write a thesis about the fact that I had no Black female televisions characters with which to identify as a teenager and so I had no choice but to latch on to “Angela Chase” from “My So-Called Life”, but that’s another email).
My point is that Danes, who earned an Emmy nomination for her role as "Angela Chase", was no ordinary competition. She was a four-time Emmy nominated, Two-time Emmy winning dramatic acting juggernaut whose portrayal of "Carrie Mathison" on “Homeland” is so extraordinary that I have actually wondered if she's crazy. That is how good Claire is and that is why I am no longer upset about Kerry Washington's Emmy loss. The truth, whether we Kerry loving Scandal fans want to admit it or not, is that Kerry did not lose; Claire Danes won. I know that a lot of people will analyze the 2013 Emmys and engage in a discussion of how Black actors are consistently robbed by Hollywood awards shows. I said so several times on Twitter last night and I stand by that.
I still believe wholeheartedly that Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne were robbed and should have both won Oscars for "What's Love Got to Do With It"; Gabourey Sidibe was robbed and should have won an Oscar for "Precious"; Denzel Washington has been robbed multiple times and should have won for "Malcolm X", and "Hurricane" and Viola Davis deserved an Oscar for "The Help". I could keep going, but the list is so long. However, if I could, I would retract my #KerryWasRobbed Twitter hashtag because she was not. (This is not to discount the times she's been overlooked and not received supporting actress Oscar nominations for "Ray”, “She Hate Me”, "Last King of Scotland", "Django", etc. but again, that's another conversation).
Kerry Washington was where she belonged last night; among a crowded field of talented actresses. While a veteran Emmy winner won instead of her; it happens. I think that part of the shock of her not winning stems from the fact that we have not been in a place where we have had a Black woman as a star of a prime time drama in 40 years, so this is a new experience for many of us. However, now that it has happened and it is disappointing, it is something that we must get used to because, as more of our sisters take on leading roles, they will be competing for awards with veteran award winners (and cable show actors who seem to win everything) and they may not always win.
Therefore, I will choose to focus not on Kerry’s lack of Emmy win, but on the positive things, such as the fact that Scandal's 3rd season airs in a few days. I will focus on the fact that a show created, written and produced by a talented Black woman, starring a talented Black woman and (partially) based on a the life of a talented Black woman is on the same network that gave birth to last night's Emmy winner. I will focus on the fact that Kerry Washington and Claire Danes are both phenomenal and will probably compete for an Emmy again next year. The fact that these gifted actors are finally on the same playing field is the real accomplishment and that should be appreciated because it is truly miraculous and long overdue.
