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The 96th annual Academy Awards featured many expected outcomes. Star-studded movies such as Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer won big, as anticipated. The greatest surprise of the evening for many came when Emily Blunt didn’t win Best Supporting Actress for her dark, conflicted portrayal of Kitty Oppenheimer; the award went to HHS and CASA alum DaVine Joy Randolph for her performance in The Holdovers.
The Holdovers follows the story of Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa), a student at a New England boarding school who was left behind by his family over the holidays. He is stuck with the school’s meanest teacher (Paul Hunham) and the grieving head chef, Mary (Da’Vine Joy Randolph). Throughout the film, the three form an unexpected bond as they begin to accept that their struggles are one in the same.
Randolph conveys the grief of a mother who just lost their son in war on the big screen. Her performance nominated her for Best Supporting Actress amongst Hollywood legends America Ferrera, Jodie Foster, Emily Blunt, and Danielle Brooks. Randolph took home her first academy award, which adds to the BAFTA and Golden Globe she already won for her portrayal of Mary.
Although she mainly does on screen acting, Randolph originally attended Temple University to focus on classical vocal performance and opera before switching her major junior year to musical theater. She continued her studies in drama with a Masters Degree at Yale University.
Randolph got her start on Broadway, but switched mainly to acting and voicing animated films. Some of her title roles include The United States vs Billie Holiday, Trolls World Tour and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.
She has two upcoming films: Shadow Force and Bride Hard. Both wrapped filming in 2023, but have yet to set a release date.
