Sandra Oh makes Emmys history with Killing Eve nomination

Sandra Oh has been killing it on BBC America’s Killing Eve, and now she’s killing it at the Emmys. The Grey’s Anatomy veteran earned a nomination on Thursday for Best Actress in a Drama Series for her performance as Eve Polastri — making her the first Asian woman to be nominated in said category.

Oh, 46, has received five Emmy nominations in the past, but they’ve all been in a supporting actress capacity for Grey’s Anatomy. Now that she’s leading the cast of her own show, there was no excuse not to give her critically lauded and fan-adored role a shoutout.

British-Indian actress Archie Panjabi previously won a supporting actress Emmy for CBS’ The Good Wife in 2010, and British-Pakistani actor Riz Ahmed won a statuette for lead actor in a limited series for HBO’s The Night Of, becoming the first actor of South Asian descent to win an Emmy for a lead performance.

Created by Fleabag‘s Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Killing Eve centers around an international cat-and-mouse game between newly recruited agent Eve Polastri and sociopathic assassin-for-hire Villanelle (a.k.a. Oksana). The series has already been greenlit for a second season following high ratings and praise.

Waller-Bridge also earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for the pilot episode, “Nice Face.”

“I feel tremendous gratitude and joy with this nomination,” Oh said in a statement. “I am thrilled for Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s nomination and for the entire cast/crew of Killing Eve. I share this moment with my community. P.S., I think my mother at this moment may actually be satisfied.”

Waller-Bridge also commented: “This is the most incredible news. Thank you to the entire Killing Eve team, cast, fans and everyone who voted for us! I can’t. Get. Over. It. A HUGE and special shout out to the incredible Luke Jennings who wrote the original novellas. Thank god he has a thing for fictional murderous women.””

Many critics had anticipated another Emmy nom for Oh’s costar Jodie Comer, but the actress was among the many snubs this year. It’s cool, though. As her psychopathic character would say, she just wants “to do her job… really well.”

See the full list of Emmy nominations here.