On Thursday, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the honorees for the 2022 Governors Awards and two of them are Black AF: Danny Glover and Samuel L. Jackson!
Jackson will receive an Honorary Award (presented “to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy”) while Glover will receive a Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award (presented to “an individual in the motion picture arts and sciences whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry”).
“We are thrilled to present this year’s Governors Awards to four honorees who have had a profound impact on both film and society,” Academy President David Rubin said in a statement. “Sam Jackson is a cultural icon whose dynamic work has resonated across genres and generations and audiences worldwide, [...], and Danny Glover’s decades-long advocacy for justice and human rights reflects his dedication to recognizing our shared humanity on and off the screen.”
Get into more official praise of the upcoming honorees via The Academy’s press release sent to The Root:
Glover first caught the attention of movie audiences in The Color Purple and went on to star opposite Mel Gibson in the Lethal Weapon series. He has also appeared in To Sleep with Anger, The Royal Tenenbaums, Dreamgirls, Beyond the Lights and Sorry to Bother You. A lifelong community activist, his efforts for worldwide justice have inspired others to follow his leadership. He has been a particularly strong advocate for economic justice and access to health care and education in the United States and Africa. He has served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Program and is currently a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
Jackson has brought an indelible presence to his roles in more than 100 films ranging from independents to blockbusters. He earned an Oscar nomination for his supporting performance in Pulp Fiction (1994). He has starred in such films as Spider-Man: Far from Home, Shaft, The Hateful Eight, Chi-Raq, Django Unchained, Black Snake Moan, Unbreakable, Jackie Brown, Eve’s Bayou, The Long Kiss Goodnight, A Time to Kill, The Great White Hype, Die Hard with a Vengeance, True Romance, Jurassic Park, Menace II Society, Jungle Fever, Mo’ Better Blues and Do the Right Thing, as well as entries in the Star Wars, Avengers, Iron Man and Incredibles series.
Congrats to these two legendary men! I’m already looking forward to what will be some epic-ass speeches from each of them. For example, I’m hoping Jackson will note how he will not tolerate any motherfucking snakes at the motherfucking Governors’ Awards ceremony and Glover will give the Celie-two-finger curse to all of Hollywood for their lack of true inclusion and equity…
I know, I know, but a girl can dream.
Glover and Jackson will receive their shiny Oscar statuettes at the Academy’s 12th Governors Awards on Jan. 15, 2022 in Los Angeles.