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Lily Gladstone & Kali Reis make history as first Indigenous actresses to be nominated for an Emmy
Emmy nominations are in, and it's a good day to be Indigenous! For the first time in its history, three Native actors have been nominated!
Lily Gladstone and Kali Reis, who are both queer and Indigenous, have both been nominated for "Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie". This makes the the first Native women ever nominated in the Emmy Awards' 76 year long history.
Lily Gladstone, who is of Blackfeet and Nimíipuu descent, earned her nomination for her portrayal of police officer Cam Benton in the Hulu original true crime miniseries Under the Bridge, which follows Benton's investigation into the murder of 14-year-old Reena Kirk. Gladstone seems to have found their niche, now on a hot streak for roles in true crime biopics about murder that were adapted from best selling books. The other of course being Martin Scorsese's 2024 film about the Osage Murders, Killers of the Flower Moon, where Gladstone made history by winning a SAG Award, a Golden Globe, and an Oscar nomination for her role as Mollie Kyle. Gladstone received Under the Bridge's only nomination.
Kali Reis, an Afro-Indigenous professional boxer-turned-actorand member of the Seaconke Wampanoag tribe, was nominated for her television debut as Trooper Evangeline Navarro in True Detective: Night Country, the fourth season of the anthology crime series, stars Reis opposite Jodie Foster's Chief Liz Danvers as they investigate the disappearance of 8 men at a research station in the fictional town of Ennis, Alaska.
Reis spoke at length with Deadlineabout what the nomination means to her. "It means so much to me," she said. Continuing, "We have women of color and diversity in this category — two of them being Indigenous women. And then on top of that we have different stories from Indigenous storytellers in the mix of it all. It means so much to be a part of this and also be a different face of being mixed native Indigenous, two-spirit woman. And just being able to be a part of a story that did their best to show the Alaskan Iñupiat people authentically, that's really huge for me personally."
With such an excellent year in television, Reis and Gladstone are up against fierce competition. The stacked list of nominees also includes: Dakota Fanning (RIpley), Jessica Gunning (Baby Reindeer), Aja Naomi King (Lessons in Chemistry), Diane Lane (Feud: Capote vs. The Swans), and Nava Mau (Baby Reindeer).
Along with D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Reis and Gladstone are only the second, third, and fourth Native actors to ever be nominated for an Emmy. The first was 17 years ago in 2007, when August Schellenberg was nominated for his portrayal of Sitting Bull in the HBO television movie Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. Woon-A-Tai, who is of Oji-Cree First Nations and Guyanese descent, received a nomination for his performance as Bear Smallhill in the FX series Reservation Dogs. Reservation Dogs garnered four other nominations for this years Emmy's, including finally receiving a nomination for "Outstanding Comedy Series". While it is great to see the series finally being recognized, it's a shame it did come until its third and final seasonthird and final season.
The 76th Annual Prime Time Emmy Awards will air live on ABC on Sunday. September 15th. A full list of categories and nominations can be viewed here.
Rowan Ashley Smith has often been described as "a multi-hyphenate about town." He loves work that connects him to his cultures as a gay, Jewish, multiracial trans man. Before breaking into journalism, the best days of his professional life were spent as a summer camp professional, a librarian, and an HIV prevention specialist. His work has been featured in GO Magazine, pride.com, and The Advocate. In what is left of his free time, Rowan enjoys performing stand up comedy, doing the NYT crossword, and spending time with his two partners, two children, and four cats.
Rowan Ashley Smith has often been described as "a multi-hyphenate about town." He loves work that connects him to his cultures as a gay, Jewish, multiracial trans man. Before breaking into journalism, the best days of his professional life were spent as a summer camp professional, a librarian, and an HIV prevention specialist. His work has been featured in GO Magazine, pride.com, and The Advocate. In what is left of his free time, Rowan enjoys performing stand up comedy, doing the NYT crossword, and spending time with his two partners, two children, and four cats.
