The actor’s red handprint was achieving using products from Cheekbone Beauty, an Indigenous-owned beauty brand. Within the Indigenous community, wearing red—and having handprints painted onto one’s face, as Woon-A-Tai opted to do tonight—has turned into a symbol and a reminder of the Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit individuals whose lives have been lost to violence. Many contemporary Indigenous designers—and artists such as Jaime Black, who launched the REDress Project in 2010—have also used red in their work to draw awareness to the ongoing issue. (Many cases of murdered or missing Indigenous women remain unsolved, as highlighted in a recent Showtime documentary titled Murder In Big Horn.)
And Woon-A-Tai isn’t the only actor to surface the issue on a major stage: Native-Hawaiian star Auli’i Cravalho made a similar display last year, at the premiere of The Power in New York City, when she also painted her face with a red handprint. It’s commendable that Young Hollywood continues to use their platform for good, and the latest spotlight from Woon-A-Tai proved to be one of the more impactful moments of Emmys night. While preparing for the carpet, Yermagyan adds that the star played the song “Thank Heaven I’m an Indian Boy” by Northern Cree.