Big Night for the Women of Big Little Lies and The Handmaid's Tale at The 2017 Emmy Awards
Tonight's presentation of the 2017 Emmy Awards may have been relatively status quo, but the real winner of the night was Womanhood. There was plenty of love to go around this year for women who acted in, produced, and directed television. First up was the always-hilarious Kate McKinnon, who for once was almost left speechless as she fought back tears of joy after winning best supporting actress in a comedy series. She sent a heartfelt thanks to Hillary Clinton "for her grace" which was met with a hearty round of applause.
Photo credit: She-Compass It was soon afterward that the Emmys boarded the mighty ship that is the The Handmaid's Tale. First at the helm was Bruce Miller, who won for outstanding writing in a drama series. As he thanked the cast and crew, he made sure to take a moment to let Elizabeth Moss know that "she leaves him speechless."
Photo credit: She-Compass
The next person to guide the vessel was Ann Dowd, who won for best supporting supporting actress in a drama series. Visibly amazed that she'd beat out Uzo Aduba, Chrissy Metz and Millie Bobby Brown, Dowd made sure to call out her female agent, who added Dowd to her roster when Dowd "couldn't put two sentences together." She also took a moment to exchange a heartfelt "love you" with Elizabeth Moss for helping one another get a job well done.
Photo credit: She-Compass The Handmaid's Tale took a slight turn into calm waters so that Lena Waithe, writer of the Netflix series Master Of None, could have her moment in the sun. Waithe won for outstanding writing in a comedy series, making her the first African-American woman to win an Emmy for this award. Waithe also took a moment to thank her "LGBQTIA chosen family," noting that the "things that make us different are our superpowers." The Handmaid's Tale ship set sail again shortly thereafter when Reed Morano, female director who took home the win for best directing in a drama series and who is also the youngest member of the American Society of Cinematographers, reminded Moss that "Lizzie is my ultimate inspiration." And after receiving all that love from her colleagues, Elizabeth Moss herself won the Emmy for best actress in a drama series, her first-ever Emmy win. Moss was sure to thank her mother for teaching her that "you can be kind without..." Though the expletive was beeped from the live event, speculation that an F-bomb had been dropped was afoot. And just in case the world needed further proof that girls rule the world, The Handmaid's Tale won the award for outstanding drama series. Ain't sisterhood grand? The women of Big Little Lies were also big winners of the night. Laura Dern was the first cast member to sit at the captain's table, winning best supporting actress in a limited series. Her win came on the heels of a hand-in-hand, proud-parade-march with fellow cast mates Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, and Zoe Kravitz, as if to quietly make a statement that no one should underestimate the connection women have with one-another.
Photo credit: She-Compass To get the juices flowing, Jean-Marc Vallee and Alexander Skarsgard thanked the women of Big Little Lies after their respective wins for outstanding directing and best supporting actor, each noting respectively that " you make me look good," and "the ladies of the show make this boy feel like one of the girls." It wasn't long after that Nicole Kidman took home the win for best actress in a limited series, her first-ever Emmy win, to which she gave Reese Witherspoon the credit. "Reese, without you I would not be standing up here." And the Big Little Lies executive producing team of Witherspoon and Kidman topped off the night with a win for outstanding limited series. Kidman spoke for the cast and crew, thanking the viewers for watching the series and noting that it "shined a light on domestic abuse, a complicated, insidious disease." Witherspoon paused to let the audience know that "it's been an incredible year for women in TV, where women can be at the forefront of their own stories." To which Kidman responded, "more roles for women, please!" Other female winners of the night were Julia Louis Dreyfus, who won for best actress in a comedy series. Veep also snagged the award for outstanding comedy series, making her the record-holder for the most Emmys won for a single role (this is her 6th lead actress in a comedy win). Congratulations to all the winners; 2017 has been a great year for women in television.