Sinners’ wave of record-breaking Oscar nominations this year brought 73-year-old Delroy Lindo his very first nod—and the actor has been “frank” about having been snubbed repeatedly in the past.
Lindo was passed over for nominations in critically acclaimed films going back several decades—including Spike Lee’s Malcolm X in 1992 and Lee’s 2020 film Da 5 Bloods. The voting body didn’t miss Lindo this year, however, as he’s been nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role as legendary blues musician Delta Slim in the vampire period film.
The actor told Entertainment Weekly in April that he no longer “buys into” Oscars chatter about his performances, after being talked up several times only to never hear his name called. “Frankly, if Da 5 Bloods experience taught me anything, it’s that no Academy Award nomination, no BAFTA nomination, no SAG nomination…There was another one. There were four of ‘em that completely iced both the film and me…”
“My point is, if so much of the press were saying, ‘This guy’s going to get nominated,’ and it didn’t happen, there’s probably a reason for that.” He added, “I was profoundly disappointed, frankly.”
After Da 5 Bloods was only nominated for Best Score, Lindo said he and Lee “commiserated” about the snubs: “Where we ended up was agreeing, no matter what, one must keep working. What am I going to do? Take my marbles and go home and get in the fetal position? No, I’m not going to do that.”
After all, he added, “I think I’ve done enough. I’ve done a wide range of work as an actor.”
Lindo has had a monumental career—in addition to his work with Lee, which also includes 1994’s Crooklyn, 1995’s Clockers, and 2006’s Inside Man, he’s also drawn critical acclaim for his roles in 1999’s Get Shorty and 1999’s The Cider House Rules.
His nomination for Sinners is one of the film’s record-breaking 16 nods, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Original Screenplay. Before this year, the record for most nominations for a single film was 14, held by All About Eve, Titanic, and La La Land.
