Actor Lakeith Stanfield, who plays half of the titular duo opposite Daniel Kaluuya in Judas and the Black Messiah responded Monday to his first Oscar nomination by posting a succinct message on Instagram: “I’m confused too, but fuck it lmao.”
Both he and Kaluuya were nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category, leaving Oscar pundits like The Daily Beast’s Kevin Fallon scratching their heads after Monday morning’s announcement. Apparently Judas and the Black Messiah had no protagonist? Fallon wondered.
Stanfield’s FBI informant character Bill O’Neal is arguably the protagonist of the film, who scored a total of six nominations, including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Cinematography, but the academy’s voters decided he was among the supporting category with its co-star and presumed front runner. Kaluuya, who plays Black Panther Party chairman Fred Hampton.
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