The win is the actress' fourth major award for her role as Mary in 'The Holdovers.'
Da'Vine Joy Randolph is an Oscar winner! At the 96th annual Academy Awards on Sunday, the 37-year-old actress, who stunned in a custom Louis Vuitton gown and blonde locks done by celebrity hairstylist Tai Simon with Joico products, nabbed her first Academy Award (and the first accolade of the evening) for her critically acclaimed performance as Mary Lamb in The Holdovers.
Lupita Nyong'o praised Randolph onstage ahead of her big win, which brought the actress, who used Facegym tools to prep her skin for the evening, to tears.
"God is so good, God is go good," Randolph began her tearful acceptance speech, praising her mother for encouraging her to act when she initially just wanted to sing. "...For so long I've always wanted to be different. And now I realize, I just need to be myself. And I thank you, I thank you for seeing me."
Randolph went on to thank a number of people in her life, including an acting teacher who she says inspired her to keep going. Breaking down in tears, she said of her teacher, "When I was the only Black girl in that class, when you saw me and you told me I was enough. When I told you, 'I don't see myself,' you said, 'That's fine. We're going to forge our own path. You're going to lay a trail for yourself.'"
She added, "I am so grateful to all the women who have been by my side."
Randolph noted that fans have not seen the last of her. "I pray to God that I get to do this more than once. I thank you for seeing me."
Randolph's performance as the Barton Academy kitchen manager grieving the loss of her son in the Vietnam War while cooped up for the holidays with Paul Giamatti's cranky professor and Dominic Sessa's petulant student has earned her a bountiful award season. The Yale School of Drama alumna has also won a Golden Globe, Critics' Choice Award, BAFTA, and SAG Award for her performance, as well as prestigious trophies from both the New York Film Critics Circle and Los Angeles Film Critics Association.
Randolph's win makes her the 10th Black woman to win an Academy Award for acting, following in the footsteps of other greats such as Viola Davis, Whoopi Goldberg and Lupita Nyong'o.
While Randolph's performance in The Holdovers has made her a household name, the British American Drama Academy graduate has been an undeniable star since her breakout in 2019's Dolemite Is My Name, where she stole scenes opposite Eddie Murphy.
But the role of Mary Lamb is significant for the Tony nominee.
"Reading the script, I understood that she was the aching heartbeat of this movie, and I knew that if I did this, I was going to have to be fearless," Randolph previously told The New York Times.
"I think this is probably the most naked or vulnerable I've ever shown to anyone, and it is out there forever," she added "But when I would get trepidatious, I would bolster myself and say we have to, because people are going to feel seen and be able to heal."
The 2024 Academy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, is airing live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 10, at 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET on ABC. Follow along at ETonline.com for full Oscars coverage, including red carpet arrivals, the complete winners list and more.
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