The Oscar for Best Supporting Actress at this year’s Academy Awards went to Da’Vine Joy Randolph (High Fidelity, Dolemite Is My Name), who delivered a beautifully emotional speech. Her work as Mary Lamb in The Holdovers has been praised all season long and now she is an Oscar winner! And rightfully so!
Lupita Nyong’o presented Randolph’s segment, joining fellow past Best Supporting Actress winners who introduced each nominee. Nyong’o talked about Randolph using her grandmother’s glasses in the film and seeing the world through her eyes. Randolph’s win was beautiful, emotional, and well-earned for her phenomenal performance. Watching her sweep this awards season has been a complete delight.
Mary Lamb is, when you think about it, the heart of The Holdovers. She’s looking out for Paul (Paul Giamatti) and Angus (Dominic Sessa), making sure that their holidays have a little joy since they are all alone. Mary lost her son in Vietnam, Paul had no one, and Angus’ family left him behind. Without her heart and soul, the film simply wouldn’t have worked.
Showing that dreams are alive
The part of Randolph’s speech that really spoke to me was when she talked about her mother encouraging her to take theater classes. Many parents wouldn’t be so supportive. While Randolph said she started as a singer, she reflected on how her mother encouraged her to take acting classes. To hear that as she was standing on stage, accepting her Oscar? Stories like these are what make nights like tonight so special.
Randolph is beyond incredible in The Holdovers and has a long and illustrious career ahead of her. I hope we see so much more of Randolph in movies because her Mary Lamb was a gift to us all.
(featured image: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
