Actor Lakeith Stanfield, who plays half of the titular duet with Daniel Kaluuya Judas and the Black Messiah, reacted on Monday to the first Oscar nomination, posting a brief message on Instagram: “I’m confused too, but damn lmao.”
Both he and Kaluuya were nominated for Best Supporting Actor, which left Oscar-winning experts such as Kevin Fallon, The Daily Beast, scratching their heads after Monday morning’s announcement. “Apparent Judas and the Black Messiah did he have no main actor? Fallon wondered.
Stanfield’s FBI informant Bill O’Neal is undoubtedly the protagonist of the film, which garnered six nominations, including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay and Best Cinematography, but academy voters decided that he belongs to the support category along with his co-star and alleged leader Kaluuya, who plays the role of the president of the Black Panther party, Fred Hampton.
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