On Sunday, April 25, 2021, Daniel Kaluuya accepted the Actor in a Supporting Role Oscar, vowing to “celebrate life.”
The 32-year-old actor accepted the award for his work on “Judas and the Black Messiah” — for which he beat out his co-star LaKeith Stanfield, as well as Sacha Baron Cohen (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”), Leslie Odom Jr. (“One Night in Miami”), and Paul Raci (“Sound of Metal”) — and thanked his loving family for helping him become the person he is today.
He said: “Thank you God. Thank you God. I can’t be here without your guidance and protection. Thanks to my mum for pouring into me, you gave me everything, you gave me your factory settings so I can stand at my fullest height. My sister, my niece, my friends and family, everyone I love I’d like to thank my team for incredible support…”
He ended his speech by saying: As the camera cut to his mortified mother and sister at the London Oscars centre, he said: “I’m going back to work… Tuesday morning because tonight I’m going up. We’ve got to celebrate life, we’re breathing, we’re walking. My mom and dad had sex, I’m here, it’s amazing, I’m so happy to be alive and I’m going to celebrate that. Love. Peace, love, and onwards, we go again.”
Kaluuya paid tribute to his co-stars for their work in the film, which tells the story of Illinois Black Panthers Chairman Fred Hampton’s betrayal.
He said, “It’s so hard to make a film about a man like this. I share this honor with the gift that is LaKeith Stanfield, the light that is Dominique Fishback… It’s so incredible to look around you and be inspired not just by what they do but who they are.”
He also paid a powerful tribute to Hampton himself and issued a rallying call to the rest of the audience gathered in Los Angeles.
He said: “To Fred Hampton, what a man. How blessed we are to live in a lifetime he existed. Thank you for your light. He was on this earth for 21 years and he found a way to feed kids breakfast, educate kids, give free medical care, against all odds…
“When they say divide and conquer, we say unite and stand. Thank you so much for showing me myself.
“There’s so much work to do guys and that’s on everyone in this room. I look to every single one of you.”
