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Emma Corrin Asks for Gender-Neutral Acting Award Categories: 'Do We Need to Make It Specific?'

Emma Corrin at the Academys 13th Governors Awards held at the Fairmont Century Plaza on November 19, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.
Emma Corrin at the Academys 13th Governors Awards held at the Fairmont Century Plaza on November 19, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.

Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty

Emma Corrin says they "hope for a future in which" acting awards at major film and television award shows are merged into one, gender-neutral acting category.

Last Friday, Corrin, 26, told BBC News that they feel acting categories — which typically include separate awards for best actor and best actress — are not "inclusive enough at the moment," as awards season arrives on the heels of their two most recent performances in My Policeman and Netflix's Lady Chatterley's Lover.

"It's about everyone being able to feel acknowledged and represented," said Corrin, who previously won a Golden Globe for best performance by an actress in a drama television series at the 2021 Golden Globe Awards for her performance as Princess Diana in The Crown.

At the time, Corrin was still using she/her pronouns, though they came out as queer later that year.

"It's difficult for me at the moment trying to justify in my head being non-binary and being nominated in female categories," Corrin said of any potential upcoming nominations. They play cisgender women in both My Policeman and Lady Chatterley's Lover.

RELATED: Watch Emma Corrin Embark on Affair in First Trailer for Netflix Romance Lady Chatterley's Lover

"When it comes to categories, do we need to make it specific as to whether you're being nominated for a female role or a male role?" Corrin added.

English actor Emma Corrin arrives for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 13th Annual Governors Awards at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles on November 19, 2022.
English actor Emma Corrin arrives for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 13th Annual Governors Awards at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles on November 19, 2022.

TOMMASO BODDI/AFP via Getty

While the actor discussed awards "and the representation there," Corrin expressed a desire for "more representation in the material itself."

"You can discuss awards and the representation there, but really the conversation needs to be about having more representation in the material itself, in the content that we are seeing for non-binary people, for queer people, for trans people, because then I think that will change a lot," they told the outlet.

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"When those parts come up, meaning more people and more actors are playing those roles, then I think there will be more of an urgency with which these questions will be addressed," they added.

In a July interview with Vogue, Corrin opened up about their gender and sexuality and shared their journey of understanding themself while being an actor.

Emma Corrin attends the "My Policeman" Premiere during the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival
Emma Corrin attends the "My Policeman" Premiere during the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival

Amy Sussman/Getty Images

Corrin first came out as nonbinary to their fans quietly, by simply changing their pronouns on Instagram. At the time, the actor also came out as queer, posting an image from their Pop Magazine photo shoot, in which they modeled a wedding dress. "Ur fave queer bride," Corrin wrote in the caption.

RELATED: Emma Corrin Opens Up About Their Gender and Sexuality: 'Some Fluidity There for Me'

"In my mind, gender just isn't something that feels fixed," they said to the outlet, "and I don't know if it ever will be; there might always be some fluidity there for me."

They continued, "I feel much more seen when I'm referred to as 'they,'" Corrin said, explaining that some close friends still call them by 'she.' "I don't mind, because I know they know me."