Nava Mau, Laverne Cox Celebrate Historic Emmys Nomination With Emotional Embrace

Lexy Perez
·3 min read

Baby Reindeer star Nava Mau emotionally celebrated her historic nomination on the Emmys red carpet.

While speaking with Laverne Cox for the E! broadcast of the 2024 Emmys red carpet, Cox was quick to get emotional as she embraced Mau with a hug.

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“I’m supposed to keep it together, I’m the host,” a visibly teary-eyed Cox told Mau. “This show is so incredible, and the work that you do is so amazing.”

For this year’s show, Mau is nominated for best supporting actress in a limited or anthology series or movie, becoming the first Latina trans nominee in this category. Cox was notably the first openly transgender person to be nominated for an acting Emmy for Orange is the New Black at the time.

“Ten years ago I became the first openly transgender person to be nominated for an acting Emmy, and 10 years later I’m not the last,” Cox told Mau. “You’re the fourth and you’re the first in this category.”

When reflecting on the meaning of her nomination, Mau said, “I think that what we’ve been fighting for in the community is to be able to tell stories that come from the heart and that are based from a human foundation. Because that’s who we are as trans people. We are human first and foremost.”

Of Baby Reindeer, Mau celebrated the fact that it’s not just a show that has a trans character but is “a really good show” overall. “That’s what I think the best thing to celebrate about Baby Reindeer, that yes, it’s an LGBTQ show; it’s a show that has a trans character on it, and it’s also a really good show, and it’s something I’m very proud of. And ultimately, I hope that we continue to get to be all that we are as trans people on screen.”

Cox noted that Mau worked on Disclosure: Trans Lives Onscreen, a 2020 film that explored trans identity in popular culture over the last century. Cox starred in the film as she offered a thorough knowledge of trans history.

“It changed my life,” Mau said of working on the film. “It was my first time being on a set of that scale… and I saw trans people in positions of leadership. I got to see you [Cox] walking in all of your grace and all of your power and I saw that I could be dream bigger than what I had dreamt for myself.”

As Cox said goodbye to Mau, she praised the actress, “You’re making history and you’re making us all so very proud.”

For Sunday’s show, Shogun leads the pack in nominations, landing 25 noms, including best drama series, setting several records in the process. Netflix’s Baby Reindeer received 11 noms including outstanding limited series/anthology, a lead actor nom for Richard Gadd, a supporting actor nom for Tom Goodman-Hill and supporting actress noms for Mau and Jessica Gunning.

The series already won for outstanding casting for a limited/anthology series and for picture editing.

The Emmys is airing live from L.A.’s Peacock Theater on ABC. Eugene and Dan Levy are hosting.

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