Director Hiro Murai joins Criss and Oh as an Emmy nominee; AAPI still need more representation

HIRO MURAI

SANDRA OH isn't the only Asian to make history with her Emmy nomination as Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

Japanese-born Hiro Murai can add his name to the Asian American history books with his nomination in the category for Directing for a Comedy Series. He is the second first Asian American to receive that nomination honor. 

It speaks to the lack of Asian American representation among TV talent that every nomination can still be deemed historic. Cary Fukunaga won an Emmy for directing True Detective in 2014.

The specific episode that Murai directed that's drawn the attention of the Television Academy is the utterly unforgettable claustrophobic "Teddy Perkins" episode of Atlanta.

Murai's directing star rose considerably this Spring when Donald Glover's music video as Childish Gambino was released. The shocking "This is America" music video was just the latest collaboration Murai has had with Glover. Besides directing several music videos for Glover, he also has directed multiple episodes for the Atlanta series.

Ironically, one of the other nominated directors is Glover, who won the directing Emmy last year -- the first African American to win that award.

Murai "helped make Atlanta the most acclaimed comedy series on television, greatly contributing to its signature style and tone and becoming an integral part of the creative team led by Donald Glover, said Nick Grad, original programming president for FX Networks and FX Productions.

The scarcity of Asian Americans on the nomination list  is not lost on Murai. “When we were in the room for the Golden Globes, I look around and it’s just me and Alan Yang,” he told GQ. “And obviously that’s very odd." 

Besides Oh and Murai, Filipino American actor Darren Criss was also nominated for portrayal of Andrew Cunanan, in American Crime Story's The Assassination of Gianni Versace.

“Regardless of awards season, this is an opportunity that I have worked and waited for my entire life. Actors are really only as good as the parts they can get, and the people that believe in them, and the complexity of the characters that they’re playing,” said Criss.

Criss points out the reason there aren't more Asian American actors, directors and writers receiving Emmy nominations. It is not a question of talent, it is the lack of opportunities to display that talent.

One recent study, "Tokens on the Small Screen," shows that despite the emergence of Fresh Off the Boat, Master of None and Into the Badlands, among the handful of shows featuring Asian Americans in lead roles, Asian Americans are still almost invisible on television and mostly relegated to what the study calls "token" roles -- or the only Asian in a show's cast.

Oh and Criss are the rare exceptions as Asian American actors playing complicated, three-dimensional characters.

When asked about the significance of her Emmy nomination, the Canadian-born Oh told the New York Times:

"Let’s celebrate it, man. I’m serious, just [expletive] celebrate it. It’s like, we’ve got to start somewhere. And I’m happy to get that ball rolling, because what I hope happens is that next year and the next year and the next year, we will have presence. And the presence will grow not only to Asian Americans, you know, from yellow to brown, but to all our other sisters and brothers. Our First Nations sisters and brothers. Our sisters and brothers of different sizes and different shapes. If I can be a part of that change, like [expletive], yeah, let’s celebrate it."

CORRECTED July 14 ,10 a.m. to include Cary Fukunaga's Emmy win in 2014.

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