By Alli Rosenbloom, CNN
(CNN) — Da’Vine Joy Randolph won her first-ever Oscar on Sunday for her performance in “The Holdovers,” capping off an impressive sweep through this year’s award season.
“I didn’t think I was supposed to be doing this as a career,” she said, through tears, in her acceptance speech. She went on to thank her mother and the many people who guided her to follow her dream – including her publicist.
“For so long, I’ve always wanted to be different,” she said. “And now I realize I just need to be myself and I thank you. I thank you for seeing me.”
Jamie Lee Curtis, Lupita Nyong’o, Rita Moreno, Regina King and Mary Steenburgen –all previous best supporting actress Oscar winners – appeared on stage to present the award and each delivered a moving speech about one of the current nominees before Randolph was announced as the winner.
Nyong’o, who spoke about Randolph, mentioned in a sweet detail that Randolph wore her grandmother’s glasses in the Alexander Payne-directed film.
Randolph was nominated in the supporting actress category alongside Emily Blunt for “Oppenheimer,” Danielle Brooks for “The Color Purple,” America Ferrera for “Barbie” and Jodie Foster for “Nyad.”
Randolph’s win on Sunday was as close to a sure bet as one can get.
She’s had a successful award season with continued wins for her breakout role in “The Holdovers,” having previously won a Golden Globe, Critics Choice Award, BAFTA and a SAG Award for her performance in the 2023 dramedy.
In “The Holdovers,” Randolph plays Mary Lamb, a grieving head cook at the New England boarding school where the film is set. She stars alongside Paul Giamatti, who portrays a curmudgeonly prep school professor who’s forced to stay on campus with a handful of students throughout the Christmas break. The film feels all the feels as it explores the power of finding friendship in unlikely places.
“The Holdovers” is nominated for five Oscars on Sunday, including a best actor nod for Giamatti as well as best picture.
The-CNN-Wire
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