Emma Watson wins MTV's first gender-neutral acting award
Emma Watson got quite a thrill out of being the inaugural winner of MTV's best actor in a movie award.
The award came about after the cable network decided to eliminate gender classifications for its Movie & TV Awards, which were handed out Sunday night in Los Angeles.
In accepting the award -- for her role as Belle in "Beauty and the Beast" -- Watson explained that "empathy and the ability to use your imagination should have no limits."
"The first acting award in history that doesn't separate nominees based on their sex says something about how we perceive the human experience," Watson said after accepting the award from "Billions" star Asia Kate Dillon, who identifies as non-binary.
"MTV's move to create a genderless award for acting will mean something different to everyone. But to me, it indicates that acting is about the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes. And that doesn't need to be separated into two different categories," Watson said. "This is very meaningful to me. Both to be winning the award and to be receiving it from you, Asia. Thank you for educating me in such an inclusive, patient and loving way."
While Watson win and the gender-neutral categories generally drew praise, some took issue with it -- including Piers Morgan.
"Gender-neutral awards -- just what the world was craving. I can't think of a better recipient than Emma Watson, a great flag bearer of all things gender neutral," Morgan said on "Good Morning Britain" Monday.
"Women will now win a lot less awards because they've made them gender-neutral and there are more male actors, so actually in trying to get equality you end up with more inequality. It's a masterpiece."
Out of the seven gender-neutral categories with solo winners at MTV's gala Sunday night, women won three -- best actor in a movie (Watson), best actor in a show (Millie Bobbie Brown) and best hero (Taraji P. Henson).