Update: 6/11/23 — Alex Neville is officially the first non-binary actor to win a Tony Award. “I shouldn’t be here as a queer, non-binary, fat, black, little kid from Massachusetts,” the actor said during his acceptance speech. “And to anyone who thinks they can’t, I’ll look you dead in the face and tell you that you can do anything you set your mind to.”

Original story: No doubt given! Alex Neville is making history with its 2023 Tony Award nomination.

The 30-year-old Broadway star portrays Lulu in the new musical comedy. Shocked., which opened in New York City in April after a 2022 run in Salt Lake City. When the nominations for the 76th annual Tony Awards were announced on Tuesday, May 2, Neville became the first gender-nonconforming actor to receive a nod in the Best Performance by an Actor in a Musical category.

“It’s a hot topic, isn’t it?” He teased during an interview Variety published a week before the announcement, reflecting on the category they chose to be recognized in. The norm has always been that a man is an actor and a woman is an actress. And I don’t like it. Because when I say I’m an actor, I mean it’s my profession, the craft I studied, the craft I’m doing. Everyone who acts is an actor. It is without gender.”

Neville noted that he “appreciates” the separation between actor and actress to give more actors a “real fighting chance” at taking home the trophy. “If we can build that, we can build more lanes for other people who don’t want to stick to those two categories,” he added. “I think choosing the actor will, I hope, be a spark for using the word as it was for the art of acting.”

While the singer called other non-binary stars “admirable” for withdrawing from awards consideration as a form of protest. The Yellow Jackets‘ Leo Hewson Recently – he also urged the industry to change. “This should be a wake-up call. Change is inevitable and it will happen, but we need to move a little faster,” he said.

Suspected isn’t Neville’s first Broadway venture — but he’s never been up for a Tony before. “My whole first time on Broadway, ‘You Were Taken,'” he recounted Playbill In March, citing the 2017 revival of Once on this islandwhich received nods in all major categories except Best Actor. “I went everywhere, and that was me. [hearing]. Not, ‘Hi, Alex, how are you?’ It was always, ‘Oh, how terrible.’ The rationalization I was given was, ‘Well, we didn’t know what category to put you in. You are completely different.’ Was it going to make me feel better or worse?

After Tuesday’s nominations were announced, Neville celebrated his milestone. “I went to the Met Gala at 8pm and 13 hours later I was nominated for a Tony!!!! I’m sick!” They passed Instagram. “Wearing csiriano was iconic!!! I couldn’t have asked for a better team with @alexander_armand on hair and @kellybellevue on makeup!!! @jennyandersonphoto you know how to capture a mother shaking moment!!!!”

As Shocked.From Lulu – a headstrong whiskey distiller – Neville brings the house down every night with his showstopping performance of “Independently Owned”, often receiving a standing ovation halfway through the first act.

“I sometimes don’t pay attention to it. … A few nights ago, there was someone right behind the conductor in Dead Center who was walking out and yelling ‘Yeah, Alex, you better do it! You better sing!'” He recalled. Variety. “It was louder than me, and I had the microphone. It was hard because it was a very funny moment.

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Scroll down to find out more about Neville ahead of the 2023 Tonys in June: