Why This Actor Wore A Red Handprint Over His Mouth At The 2024 Emmys

Many viewers were quite perplexed when a largely unknown actor showed up on the 2024 Emmys red carpet with a painted red handprint covering his mouth. But no need to fret, as we are here to provide context for what first seemed like an odd fashion choice. It turns out that it was no fashion choice at all but a political statement addressing a very important and widely under-discussed issue. The actor in question, D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, sacrificed vanity for impact in a bid to garner attention for missing and murdered Indigenous women. The handprint was even more jarring because Woon-A-Tai paired it with an all-black formal outfit and kept a stern face in photos.

According to the Native Hope website, a red painted hand, "stands for all the missing sisters whose voices are not heard. It stands for the silence of the media and law enforcement in the midst of this crisis. It stands for the oppression and subjugation of Native women who are now rising up to say #NoMoreStolenSisters." But who exactly is Woon-A-Tai, and why did he choose to make such a bold statement? Read on to find out.

D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai is a Canadian actor known for his work on the series "Reservation Dogs," produced by Taika Waititi. The show is centered on Native American teenagers on an Oklahoma reservation, and it is a rare showcase for Indigenous voices in the writer's room. Though the series began in 2021, it was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series for the first time ever in 2024. "I don't know what an Emmy Award will really do for stopping issues that we face on a daily basis," Woon-A-Tai said in an interview with the Toronto Star. "It just gives us hope. It gives hope to a kid on a reservation that they could also be on that stage and do it too, and they can." The issue is personal for Woon-A-Tai, who is of Oji-Cree, Anishinaabe, and Guyanese descent.

Woon-A-Tai was himself nominated at the 2024 Emmy Awards, losing out for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series to "The Bear" star Jeremy Allen White early in the broadcast. Though he did not win the Emmy, the actor's bold political statement is already getting people talking, which is a win it itself. The handprint on Woon-A-Tai's face was purposefully meant to resemble a bloody hand, and its presence over the mouth was clearly meant to address the silence around the thousands of missing Indigenous women whose cases have not been investigated or even logged into the federal missing persons database. Time will tell if his big statement can have a real impact.