Hollywood awards shows, they’re just like us.
Daniel Kaluuya took the first award of the night at Sunday’s Golden Globes 2021 for supporting actor in a movie, then immediately hit the virtual show’s first big technical snag.
When the telecast cut to the actor’s feed for his acceptance speech, it became quickly apparently that Kaluuya’s audio was muted — a very relatable experience for those of us who have been working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.
That said, the glitch made for pretty bad optics since Kaluuya was the first Black winner of the evening. After a Times investigation, the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. and its lack of Black members have been under renewed scrutiny so even accidents feel particularly cringey.
Consummate professional Laura Dern, who presented the award, had to quickly recover and offered additional congratulations. This bought the tech team enough time to bring Kaluuya back to properly accept his award.
Darrel Britt-Gibson, Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield appear in "Judas and the Black Messiah" by Shaka King, an official selection of the Premieres section at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Glen Wilson. All photos are copyrighted and may be used by press only for the purpose of news or editorial coverage of Sundance Institute programs. Photos must be accompanied by a credit to the photographer and/or 'Courtesy of Sundance Institute.' Unauthorized use, alteration, reproduction or sale of logos and/or photos is strictly prohibited.
With his win, Kaluuya, who portrayed Black Panther chairman Fred Hampton in Shaka King’s “Judas and the Black Messiah,” became just the fifth Black performer to win a Golden Globe for supporting actor.
“I hope generations after this can see how brilliantly he thought how brilliantly he spoke, and how brilliantly he loved,” Kaluuya said of Hampton.
