{"id":301074,"date":"2026-02-25T07:02:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T07:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/301074\/"},"modified":"2026-02-25T07:02:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T07:02:08","slug":"delroy-lindo-on-his-oscar-nod-working-with-ryan-coogler-and-blues-music-essence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/301074\/","title":{"rendered":"Delroy Lindo On His Oscar Nod, Working With Ryan Coogler, And Blues Music – Essence"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Delroy\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPhoto Credit: Gareth Cattermole\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

Delroy Lindo\u2019s recent Academy Award nomination is long overdue, but he has never carried himself like a man waiting for validation. His r\u00e9sum\u00e9 spans nearly five decades, and since he began his career, it\u2019s always been about the work.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When the London-born actor learned of the Oscar nod for his role as Delta Slim in Ryan Coogler\u2019s Sinners<\/a>, the information came from a trusted source. \u201cWell, my son was the one who delivered the news to me,\u201d he said. \u201cThat, in addition to my gratitude for being nominated, it felt really right cosmically that the news was coming from my son\u2014so things felt right on all levels.\u201d For an actor who has built a career on discipline, this particular moment was special because of the person he was able to share it with. Also, the opportunity was one that has been several years in the making.<\/p>\n

Lindo began in theater in the 1970s, appearing in a production of Of Mice and Men before finding deeper footing in theater through the 1980s. At Yale Repertory Theatre, under Lloyd Richards, he sharpened his craft, and his performance as Herald Loomis in August Wilson\u2019s Joe Turner\u2019s Come and Gone earned him a Tony nomination in 1988. It was the stage that shaped his instincts, and it also helped to create a foundation for his on-screen prowess.<\/p>\n

Film audiences began to take notice of Lindo in the 1990s through his collaborations with Spike Lee in Malcolm X<\/a>, Crooklyn, and Clockers, where he portrayed morally complex characters that showcased his range. On television, he portrayed Matthew Henson in Glory & Honor and Clarence Thomas in Strange Justice\u2014the latter earning a Peabody Award\u2014and later commanded the screen as Adrian Boseman on The Good Fight. After a challenging early 2000s, he recalibrated through television, directing, and a return to theater, a resilience that made his reunion with Lee in Da 5 Bloods all the more triumphant; the role earned him New York Film Critics Circle and National Society of Film Critics awards for Best Actor.<\/p>\n

In Sinners, Lindo plays Delta Slim, a blues musician whose presence is symbolic beyond the horror frame of the film. \u201cI recognized from the very first reading of the script that it was a really particular and important story,\u201d he said. \u201cI never viewed it as a horror story. I always felt that Ryan was using this genre to tell a much larger and a more important story.\u201d Working with Coogler, he found a set built on trust. \u201cRyan has an incredible generosity and openness of spirit. He makes everybody feel like a collaborator.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coogler\u2019s film has been prevalent throughout awards season, garnering nominations across a bevy of different categories, which speaks to how phenomenal it is. The chemistry behind the scenes translated on-screen. \u201cHonestly, it felt like family,\u201d Lindo said of his relationship with the cast. His experience working on Sinners also deepened his understanding of the blues, a genre he had encountered before, but came to have a closer relationship with through the film.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my lifetime, I\u2019ve seen Muddy Waters, I\u2019ve seen Bobby Bland, I\u2019ve seen B.B. King\u2014I\u2019ve seen all those cats in concert,\u201d Lindo explained. \u201cI would say to you, that I have an enhanced appreciation for the music now as a result of doing this film because I have a clear perspective of what the music means culturally and historically.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite all of his current success, Lindo is careful not to let his focus drift towards chasing trophies. Yes, the recognition is meaningful, but it is not the point. \u201cOne does not work for awards,\u201d he said. \u201cYou work as much as possible to do the things you need to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI recognize how people have responded to me getting this nomination, and I recognize that for a lot of people it\u2019s a real, real big deal, and that elevates this moment for me, not only in terms of getting the award, but also in terms of from the standpoint of all the joy that people feel for me having gotten the award,\u201d the actor continued. \u201cSo it really amplifies the moment all the way around.\u201d<\/p>\n

At this point in Lindo\u2019s career, doesn\u2019t want to reflect on milestones, per se, however important they may be. For him, the goal is simple; take on strong roles and do them well. \u201cI\u2019m knocking on wood right now, but it\u2019s the ability to continue to work, and continuing to do work that impacts the audiences, and to do work of quality,\u201d he said. \u201cThat has always been, and will continue to be, the inspiration that keeps me going.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Photo Credit: Gareth Cattermole Delroy Lindo\u2019s recent Academy Award nomination is long overdue, but he has never carried…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":301075,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[156,409,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-301074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-entertainment","tag-movies","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/301074","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=301074"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/301074\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/301075"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=301074"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=301074"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=301074"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}