July 15, 2023
Deaf Actor Keivonn Montreal Woodard Youngest Emmy Nominee Ever In Category
Black child actor Keivonn Montreal Woodard will go down in Emmy history.
The Last of Us star has been nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. Woodard’s emotional performance has gained another wave of praise after his nomination.
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At just 10 years old, Woodard played the clever, lovable, and deaf apocalypse survivor Sam in the popular HBO series. The deaf actor quickly became a fan favorite of watchers in episode 5, titled “Endure and Survive.”
According to Entertainment Weekly, Woodard’s nomination makes him the youngest nominee in the Outstanding Guest Actor category and the second youngest Emmy nominee ever. Keshia Knight Pulliam of The Cosby Show earned her nomination at just 6 years old.
The accolade is more impressive since The Last of Us is Woodard’s first acting role.
In a prior interview with EW, Woodard admitted to being “a little overwhelmed” but also expressed excitement to see the culmination of his work on the screen.
“I feel excited because I’ve been watching the episodes, and I really want to see the one that I acted in and see the finished product. I’m not afraid to be on camera and meet people for the first time,” Woodard said through an interpreter.
During the interview, he revealed that the process was made easier by his fellow co-star Lamar Johnson, who plays Sam’s dedicated and protective older brother. He identified one of the most action-packed scenes of the show as his favorite one to act in.
“When we ran, and the truck was chasing us, the running scene was really fun ’cause I was running as fast as I could,” Woodard said. “I hide underneath one of the cars, and all of the trucks are pushing the cars out of the way and the Clickers are all running and I had to weave through the cars and run as fast as I could. We get close to the house by the end of the scene, and that was the most fun part.”
Woodard is joined by Johnson in the list of Emmy nominees in his category and fellow Black actress Storm Reid from the show. The Last of Us received a stunning 24 Emmy nominations in all, including Best Drama Series, Best Actor and Best Actress for Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, respectively.
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The Emmys will air September 18, 2023, on Fox.