Da’Vine Joy Randolph is still basking in the glory of the aftermath of her Oscar win for best supporting actress in “The Holdovers” on Sunday at the 96th annual Academy Awards.
Less than 24 hours after her speech captivated millions worldwide, Randolph told “CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King that her win signified a “moment of completion,” and described a special presentation by past winners, including her long-time friend Lupita Nyong’o, as “soul-stirring.”
During the ceremony, Nyong’o said Randolph’s performance “is tribute to those who have helped others heal in spite of their own pain. It’s also a tribute to your grandmother, whose glasses you wore in the film. What an honor to see the world through her eyes and yours.” Randolph, said she was stunned by Nyong’o’s speech about her.
“I talked to Lupita an hour, two hours prior. We’ve been talking specifically, frequently all throughout the week. She never said nothing about it. She got me a massage yesterday, never said anything. I was like what is what’s going on? It was the best surprise,” said Randolph, who also attended Yale at the same time as Nyong’o.
Randolph said she felt a sense of “release and a relief” when she won, and reflected on her whirlwind award season.
“It was a campaign for people to see a brown and Black body go through this process, having conversations and speeches and interviews in which I can speak about Black women and the Black experience from a place dignity, pride and class,” she said. “This has been such a monumental journey.”
Randolph said her journey to her Academy Award win also marked one of self-discovery. During her acceptance speech she said, “I’ve always wanted to be different, now I realize I just need to be myself.”
She explained that revelation to King saying, “I think prior, I thought, ‘Well, if only I looked like this, or if only I acted like that,’ meaning like my spirit, my personality,” she said. ‘”If only I carried myself this way,’ looking at other people’s success and other things that got them to places where I may have thought I wanted to have and be at. Through this process, I’ve come to know, and really through this awards season, I’ve come to know, you’re enough. It’s you.”
