Regina King. The beautiful actress is a force in every scene she is in. The transformation from a young outspoken girl on your TV every week in show 227 to a heartfelt, drama-filled passion actress has taken place right before our eyes. The 48-year-old, who just picked up the award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in If Beale Street Could Talk, was clearly floored by this honor when she was visibly crying in her humble acceptance speech.
“To be standing here, representing one of the greatest artists of our time, James Baldwin, it’s a little surreal,” she said in her Oscar speech. “James Baldwin birthed this baby, Barry you nurtured her, you surrounded her with so much love and support and so it’s appropriate for me to be standing here because I’m an example of when support and love is poured into someone.”
King picked up a few other awards on her journey towards the Oscars’ win including the Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Award. King also took home an Emmy Award last September for her role in the Netflix mini-series Seven Seconds.
“I’m gonna have a tequila in there. Yeah, I’m going with what does me well. Wow,” she shared in a video shared by Variety, as she watched the process unfold.
Her first-ever Oscar win and nomination was for her moving role in as a mother helping her pregnant young daughter fight the justice system and get her innocent boyfriend out of prison. Audiences and critics alike shared their love for the heartfelt film and many agreed the entire cast was breathtaking.
During her acceptance speech, King thanked her director, Barry Jenkins, as well as late author James Baldwin, who wrote the book If Beale Street Could Talk in the 1960s.
During a particularly emotional point in the speech, the actress began to cry while thanking her mother, Gloria King, whom she…
… brought as her date to the award show.
“Mom, I love you so much. Thank you for teaching me that God is always leaning, always has been leaning in my direction,” the star said.
King is just one of three black actresses who have on their mantels both an Oscar and a Primetime Emmy Award.
The other two are Viola Davis and Halle Berry, who won their Oscars in 2016 and 2001, respectively.
King has three Emmys, which she won in 2015, 2016 and 2018.
Davis won the best lead actress in a drama series Emmy award in 2015 for her role in ABC’s “How to Get Away with Murder.”
Berry won her Emmy in 2000 for her role in the television movie “Introducing Dorothy Dandridge.”