Sunday was an outstanding day in the life of actor and writer Daniel Kaluuya. After starring in major hits like Queen & Slim and Get Out, the British actor won his first Academy Award for his portrayal of Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah. Throughout the night, he was joined by his fellow cast members, Lil' Rel Howery and Lakeith Stanfield. Not to mention. H.E.R, Tiara Thomas and D'Mile won the "Best Original Song" category for contributing "Fight For You" to the film's soundtrack.
In the midst of a celebratory evening, a Hollywood journalist seemingly mistook him for another Black actor. While speaking with Kaluuya, Margaret Gardiner of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association asked him a question that would seemingly be geared toward Leslie Odom Jr. or Aldis Hodge.
“I’ve been following you since the beginning of your career, and I was wondering what it meant for you to be directed by Regina, what this means for you at this time with the world and the state that it’s in?” she asked.
Kaluuya did not star in a film led by Regina King. He starred in a film directed by another Black filmmaker named Shaka King. However, Regina King did make her directorial debut with the Oscar-worthy film, One Night In Miami. Two of the film's lead actors, Leslie Odom Jr. and Aldis Hodge, were in attendance, but neither of them looks like Kaluuya.
After hearing the question, Kaluuya asked her for clarification. She then asked it again without mentioning Regina King.
“I was wondering what it meant for you to win with the world and the state that it’s in at the moment?” she asked.
After she was called out for mistaking one Black actor for another, Gardiner issued a statement via Twitter. She claimed that she included Regina King in her question in order to find out if Kaluuya felt that she deserved a "Best Director" nomination. In retrospect, it may have made more sense to ask Kaluuya if his director, Shaka King, deserved a "Best Director" nod.
Regardless of Gardiner's mistake, Kaluuya has cemented himself among Hollywood's greats. With this award, he becomes only the sixth Black man to win the "Best Supporting Actor" category. Moving forward, Kaluuya is set to star in The Upper World and another untitled Jordan Peele horror production.
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