| re: lack of nom for Jon Jon Briones was criminal | |
| Last Edit: WaymanWong 09:37 am EDT 06/23/22 | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 09:22 am EDT 06/23/22 | |
| In reply to: re: lack of nom for Jon Jon Briones was criminal - Chazwaza 05:04 am EDT 06/23/22 | |
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| Yes, I'm well-aware that Jonathan Pryce arrived better-known in ''Miss Saigon'' than Jon Jon Briones, who was making his Broadway debut. (Yet Eva Noblezada was making her Broadway debut, too, and she got a Tony nomination.) Pryce won his first Tony for Featured Actor back in 1977 for Trevor Griffiths' 'Comedians.'' He wouldn't win his second one until ''Miss Saigon'' in 1991. And ironically, I believe the casting controversy actually raised his profile and made him better-known in New York. ... As I also noted, I think Briones got edged out by better-known performers (who happen to be white). I'm hesitant to throw around the R word, which is why I never used in my posting, but whatever the factors, the end result and optics are the same: A white actor won a Tony for the Engineer; an Asian-American actor didn't get nominated. I'd add that history speaks for itself: Only 3 South Asian men have ever been Tony-nominated for Lead Actor. None have won. In Tony's 75-year history, they haven't had many opportunities. And you can't win an award if you're not even nominated. As for Briones' lack of an Emmy nom, I'll add one more bit of context: It's hard for ANYONE to get an Emmy nomination, thanks to the huge explosion of TV shows on broadcast, cable and streaming. And even though ''Gianni Versace'' won tons of Emmys, including Best Limited Series, Directing, etc., it's possible many voters didn't even get to see Briones' performance because it was in the 8th, and penultimate, episode. For the record, I give props to Ryan Murphy and his P.R. team. During that awards season, they DID include Briones in their Emmy campaign, and put him on panels, alongside Criss, Ramirez, Martin, etc. Obviously, they didn't have to, but that's how much they respected Briones' contribution. Asian actors are starting to make some headway in showbiz awards. But it's slow. In 2021, Steven Yeun from ''Minari'' became the first East Asian and Asian-American actor to be nominated for Best Actor ... in the Academy's nearly 100-year history. And from that same movie, Korean actress Youn Yuh-jung WON the Oscar for Supporting Actress - the first Asian to do so since Miyoshi Umeki for ''Sayonara'' (1958) - over 6 decades ago. And I was stunned that a pair of Korean actors, Lee Jung-jae and Hoyeon, WON the leading SAG Awards for ''Squid Game.'' How long will it take for Asian-American actors to win comparably historic victories at the Tonys? Only time will tell! |
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| Previous: | re: lack of nom for Jon Jon Briones was criminal - Chazwaza 05:04 am EDT 06/23/22 |
| Next: | re: More on Pacific - showtunetrivia 05:13 pm EDT 06/22/22 |
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