LOS ANGELES (AP) – With a starring role, Daniel Kaluuya won an Oscar for best supporting actor.
Kaluuya received his first Academy Award Sunday night for playing one of the two main characters in “Judas and the Black Messiah.”
In a quirk in the nomination process, LaKeith Stanfield, who played “Judas” William O’Neal, who betrayed Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton to the FBI, competed in the same category.
“I share this honor with the gift that is LaKeith Stanfield,” Kaluuya told the small audience gathered at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles.
The London-born actor played the fiery Hampton, who was killed in a 1969 FBI raid. The role also earned him the Golden Globe, BAFTA and SAG Award from the Actors Guild.
“For President Fred Hampton, what a man. How blessed we are to have lived a lifetime in which he existed, ”said Kaluuya holding his trophy. “He was on this earth for 21 years and found a way to feed children, educate them and get free medical care through thick and thin.”
Kaluuya mentioned Hampton’s teammates in the game Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale.
“They taught me how to love myself,” he said. “With that love, they overflowed into the black community and into other communities. They showed us the power of unity ”.
He also addressed the other nominees by saying, “There’s a lot of work to do guys, and that is up to everyone in this room. This is not a one-man job. “
The 32-year-old actor was cheered on by his Ugandan mother, Damalie, and her sister, who sat in social distance away from the nominees’ tables.
“I would like to thank my mom,” Kaluuya said, as she cried. Thank you for pouring so much into me. You gave me everything You gave me the factory settings so that I could reach my full potential. “
He made her laugh – and confused her mother – by making a lighthearted comment before retiring from the podium.
“My mom and dad, they had sex. It’s unbelievable, ”he said to credit them for their existence.
In the virtual press room, Kaluuya said her mother wouldn’t mind her cheek,
“He has a sense of humor,” he said.
Kaluuya rose to fame in 2018 as the lead in “Get Out” (“Run away!”), For which he received his first Oscar nomination. This led to him landing roles in the Marvel superhero movie “Black Panther” and “Queen & Slim.”
The other nominees for best supporting actor were Paul Raci for “Sound of Metal” (“The sound of metal”), Leslie Odom Jr. for “One Night in Miami …” (“One Night in Miami …” ) and Sacha Baron Cohen for “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (“The trial of the Chicago 7”).
–
