Emmys 2016: Master of None writer Alan Yang calls on Hollywood for better Asian representation

'They have The Godfather, Goodfellas, Rocky, and The Sopranos. We've got Long Duk Dong'

The 68th Emmy Awards proved both a victorious night for diversity on all fronts and a reminder of how much more work needs to be done.

This year marked one of the most inclusive ceremonies ever, with Mr. Robot's Rami Malek becoming the first non-white Best Actor in a Drama in 18 years, alongside Master of None's co-creators Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang picking up an award for Best Writing in a Comedy Series.

Yang himself took the opportunity both to instil an inspiring message to fellow Asian Americans, and encouragement to get into the filmmaking industry, alongside a sobering reminder of how little inclusivity Hollywood has offered in the past; particularly in its long history of racist Asian stereotypes.

"There’s 17 million Asian Americans in this country," Yang stated. "And 17 million Italian Americans. They have The Godfather, Goodfellas, Rocky, and The Sopranos. We’ve got Long Duk Dong. So we have a long way to go. But I know we can get there, I believe in us, it’s just gonna take a lot of hard work. Asian parents out there, if you can do me a favor: Just a couple of you, get your kids cameras instead of violins, we’ll all be good."

Jeffrey Tambor also used his win for his role as transgender character Maura Plefferman in Transparent to make an impassioned plea for better inclusion of transgender acting talent onscreen. "I just hope there are more opportunities for transgender talent," he stated. "I would very much like to be the last cisgender male playing a transgender female. I think we are there now."

Game of Thrones and American Crime Story: The People v O.J. Simpson proved the biggest winners of the night, with the former breaking records with the highest number of wins for any fictional series.