Keivonn Montreal Woodard's Last Of Us Emmy Nom Broke A Record (And The Internet)

When Emmy nominations came out on July 12, 2023, HBO's freshman series "The Last of Us" scored a whole bunch of nominations — which isn't particularly surprising, considering the show was met with near-universal acclaim when it premiered earlier in the year. Adapted from the wildly popular video game created by Neil Druckmann, who also crafted the show alongside "Chernobyl" showrunner Craig Mazin, "The Last of Us" imagines a world that's been ravaged by a virus caused by the cordyceps fungus and the few survivors left, including Bella Ramsey's Ellie and Pedro Pascal's Joel. The two of them meet Lamar Johnson's Henry and Kevionn Montreal Woodard's Sam, two brothers just trying to get by themselves — though this chance meeting ends horribly for nearly all involved.

The great news is that booking this role ended with Woodard making history. At just ten years old, the fledgling actor is the youngest nominee for outstanding guest actor in a drama series, and he's also a beacon of representation for Deaf actors of color. According to Deadline, Woodard was "shocked" (in a good way) by the nomination, understanding how important his portrayal was — and he also provided some encouraging words for young Deaf actors like him. 

"I think that everybody should just do their best when they're trying to act and just go for the auditions," Woodard said. "Don't worry about it, and just go ahead and try to act your best. 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."

Woodard only appears in one episode of "The Last of Us," but his performance clearly made an impression, as fans were overjoyed to see his nomination. On Twitter, @sarahesoltan wrote of his nomination, "I am so thrilled about this. this boy moved me to tears without saying a word in an episode that was under an hour. phenomenal performance, a [phenomenal] actor." @UzamakiJ agreed, writing, "I hope he wins because he really really deserves it for his performance." @dana_WHAT thinks the Academy has a hard task ahead of them, writing, "Listen. I do not envy having to choose specifically between the 4 incredibly moving Guest Actor in a Drama nominees from The Last of Us... but I can't think about Kevionn's performance without tearing up all over again." @lukefmorris perhaps spoke for all of us when he wrote, "Out of all The Last of Us acting nominees, he's the most deserving. I was a puddle of tears when that episode aired." This is really saying something, considering Pascal and Ramsey scored nods alongside guest stars Storm Reid, Anna Torv, Melanie Lynskey, and Nick Offerman... but Woodard's performance really is that phenomenal.

In a touching gesture, Deaf actress Marlee Matlin posted an encouraging message on her Twitter to congratulate Woodard. "Congratulations to first-time Deaf actor Keivonn Montreal Woodard for being the youngest Emmy nominee as Guest Actor for @TheLastofUsHBO," Matlin tweeted. "As the youngest Best Actress winner myself for an Oscar, my hands are waving in the air for you!"

Deadline also spoke to Woodard's mother, April Jackson-Woodard — and according to the outlet, she got the news about her son's nomination while he was at a basketball summer camp for the day. Jackson-Woodard recalled that she didn't even know quite what to think until text messages came in from several of her son's co-stars, including fellow nominee Ramsey. Mazin also directly texted Jackson-Woodard, and she says all he wrote was, "Keivonn's got to have a tux."

"People kept sending messages, and I cried immediately because I never thought or dreamed it would happen to my son," Jackson-Woodard told Deadline. "You know, I never even considered it. After Keivonn got the role, I asked myself, 'How do I even prepare my life?' It wasn't easy, especially as a Black Deaf mother and also being a widow. I was trying to take care of everything on my own, but he would say, 'Mom, I got this.' And he did. He's the first young Black Deaf actor to be nominated in Emmys history, on top of this being his first TV show [and major audition process]. We are completely humbled and honored."

This nomination is incredibly well deserved, and it's also incredibly important when it comes to representation. No matter what happens during the Emmys themselves, Woodard has been recognized for his work, and it's thrilling that an actor just starting his career is getting this kind of exposure.

Fans of the original video game know that, in "The Last of Us," the character of Sam isn't originally Deaf. This was an important change to make, and in a podcast about the series that  aired after Sam and Henry's episode, titled "Endure and Survive," Mazin and Druckmann revealed that they wanted to deepen the relationship between Sam and Henry by giving the duo an intimate way to communicate. Beyond that, Sam doesn't speak during the episode, and the infected cordyceps monsters respond to noise — which means that Henry and Sam are frequently able to lay low and hide, communicating exclusively through ASL.

"I became nervous that there was a mode of communication between Joel and Ellie that I didn't want to feel like I was repeating between Henry and Sam because as Neil points out, in the game, you don't spend time with Henry and Sam on their own," Mazin said on the official "The Last of Us" podcast. "But if they are on their own, and we knew we wanted to do that, what do those discussions sound like? And it could very easily fall into the trap of exasperated father figure and curious, concerned, scared child figure." Then the pair found Woodard... and the rest, literally, is history.