BET said it best! ‘Black Excellence is shining bright in Oscar Nominations’ and we loved this Danielle Brooks moment.
Actors Zazie Beetz and Jack Quaid announced the 96th Oscars nominations today (January 23), live from the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Los Angeles. And a few of our faves have a lot to be happy about.
Danielle Brooks, Sterling K. Brown, Colman Domingo, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Jeffrey Wright are all first-time nominees this year!
Wright, nominated for “Best Actor,” and Brown, recognized for “Supporting Actor,” showcased their talents in “American Fiction,” a film also honored with nominations for “Best Picture” and “Adapted Screenplay.”
Danielle Brooks Best Supporting Actress Nominee
Danielle received a call from TODAY show hosts Hoda and Jenna and when she was asked how she found out about the news, she said she was in New Zealand and her phone was actually on DND.
Her hubby had the pleasure of giving her the amazing news because he is the only person who could reach her.
She said:
Look what God has done… Well see Im actually in New Zealand right now so when the announcement came out it was 2.30 in the morning so my phone is on DND ..the only person who can reach me on DND is my husband and he called and he said baby you did it….. Did what?.. what is going on? he said you are Oscar nominated, and I said what? …It wasn’t processing until I turned my ringer on and then just …boom boom boom… text messages, phone calls … I’m like what is going on .. Im still asleep!”
Listen:
Fun fact! Danielle auditioned for almost 6 months for this role even though she had played Sofia for a year on Broadway.
According to an interview she did with USA TODAY she was asked:
You went through a six-month audition process for this film, after playing Sofia for a year on Broadway. What was going through your mind?
There were moments where it was like, “Why do I have to keep proving myself?” The talent is still there; the voice is still there; I’m not a difficult actor to work with. I didn’t understand it. It wasn’t until someone from my agency said, “They just want to make sure that if they’re taking anybody from other renditions of ‘The Color Purple,’ that they’re really open to Blitz’s viewpoint on the story.” That made sense to me because there is a nostalgia you hold when you’ve been a part of it. And we already have that as people of color who love this story: You don’t want to touch things that are so perfect in our eyes.
Now look at her!
Oprah celebrated the moment with a post of her own.
In her caption she wrote:
Woke up to the news of @thedaniellebrooks being nominated for an Academy Award for Actress in a Supporting Role in @thecolorpurple. Talked to her immediately and we screamed and cried and jumped for joy together on the phone. Look what God has done ?? @theacademy
Congrats girl!
