On Sunday night, the 26th Annual Critic’s Choice Awards ceremony aired live on the CW. Hosted by All American’s Taye Diggs, the evening kicked off with some expected wins but y’all know how we roll over here— so let’s get to a few of the Blackity-black highlights.
Per a press release sent to The Root, George C. Wolfe’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom took home three awards last night: Best Hair and Makeup, Best Costume Design, and Best Actor. The latter, which went to the late Chadwick Boseman, was accepted by Boseman’s widow Taylor Simone Ledward, who gave a touching speech on his behalf.
“Wow. It has to be said aloud that for those of us who know Chad intimately, personally, professionally, those he taught, those he gave a word of advice, those who taught him — it is so hard to find a celebratory feeling in these moments,” Ledward said in part according to People. “As proud as we are of him, yes for his work, but even more just for who he is as a person. “But his work deserves this. His work in this film deserves this. He deserves this.”
And speaking of deserving, Daniel Kaluuya scored a win for his portrayal of Fred Hampton in Judas and The Black Messiah. By taking home the award for Best Supporting Actor, this makes it Kaluuya’s second win for his role in the Shaka King directed film. Michael K. Williams also nabbed the award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Montrose Freeman in HBO’s Lovecraft Country. (If I’m honest though, seeing Williams’ and Kaluuya’s name next to “supporting” anything at this point lowkey feels crazy because of how much they bring to every role but because it makes sense for their respective projects—I’mma let it cook.)
Though nominated for several awards including Best Director and Best Acting Ensemble, Regina King’s One Night In Miami only walked away with the award for Best Song, thanks to Leslie Odom’s “Speak Now.” And while I’m happy for them for that, I can’t help but feel a little salty at the Best Acting Ensemble snub. Have y’all seen ONIM? The flavor it has, the talent it has, the greatness it has. I could go on, but I digress. Staying on the musical front though, the Jamie Foxx-led Soul took home the award for Best Score. Reflecting on the historic relevance of his, Foxx told Variety back in December:
“For me to be able to say, and be proud to say, [I’m] the first African-American lead in Disney-Pixar, that’s amazing. That feels good. In my career, I’ve never had to apologize for being Black. I was on In Living Color — I had a Black boss, Black writers, Black creators. Then with The Jamie Foxx Show, it was all Black. So, I’ve never had to worry about turning my Black up or turning my Black down. I’ve just been me and it is always worked out for me. When I do that, great things come out of it.”
To see the complete list of winners, be sure to visit www.criticschoice.com