Talk about a history-maker!

The nominations for the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards are not with out its without its fair share of historic firsts.

Chief among the record breakers is Keivonn Montreal Woodard, who picked up a nomination for Oustanding Guest Actor In Drama Series for his portrayal of Sam, a young deaf apocalypse survivor, in the HBO series The Last Of Us.

With his nomination, the 10-year-old actor made history as the youngest person to ever receive a nomination in this category and he is also the first Black deaf actor to get a nomination.

Based on the 2013 video game of the same name, The Last Of Us chronicles survivors of a post-apocalyptic America 20 years after civilization has been ravaged by a deadly virus.

Executive produced by game creator Neil Druckmann and Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin, The Last Of Us also stars Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Storm Reid, Lamar Johnson, Nico Parker, Anna Torv, Nick Offerman, Murray Bartlett, Melanie Lynskey, Gabriel Luna and Scott Shepherd. Aside from Woodard, Reid, Johnson Torv, Lynskey, Offerman and Bartlett, also received nominations in the Guest Actor and Guest Actress categories, respectively. Pascal and Ramsey were nominated in Lead Categories.

In an interview with Deadline, Woodard expressed elation at his nod, deeming it “shocking” and discussed the importance of a young deaf Black boy receiving an Emmy nomination.

“I think that everybody should just do their best when they’re trying to act and just go for the auditions. Don’t worry about it, and just go ahead and try to act your best,” Woodard said. “Yes, it was hard with the facial expressions and learning how to [interpret the script for American Sign Language], but I think it’s really important to also learn to listen to your production team and to collaborate with them. I got in, and so can you.”

Overall, The Last Of Us received 24 nominations, including one for Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Writing In A Drama Series.

Keivonn Montreal Woodard

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