Regina King is an award winning actress, and has recently received her first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Regina King has been in the entertainment industry for over 30 years, and she’s finally getting the well deserved recognition that was long overdue. This week alone, she graced the cover of not one, not two, but three different magazines; Vanity Fair, The Wrap, and Los Angeles Times. Now, the culture knows Regina King from her first role in 1985 as Brenda Jenkins on the hit television show 227. Her most recent role, the one snagging her all these awards, is in If Beale Street Could Talk. She plays Sharon Rivers, a mother trying to help free her daughter’s boyfriend from being wrongfully imprisoned. Let’s shine a light on some of her most recent awards.
- Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie- ‘Seven Sceonds’
- New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress- ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’
- Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress- ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’
- Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture- ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’
- Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actress- ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’
- National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress- ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’
And those awards are just from this year and 2018! I’m especially excited about Regina King’s first Oscar nomination because from the moment I saw the trailer for If Beale Street Could Talk, I just knew. I turned to my friend and said’ “I bet she’ll get an Oscar nomination from this role.” I want to be a producer, so I study these films, and I can spot an award winning performance when I see one. Also, taking a look at her previous roles, I’m surprised that this is actually her first Oscar nom. Still can’t get over the fact that she was the voice of both Huey and Riley in the hilarious animated series, The Boondocks. Some of Regina King’s other work includes, Boyz n the Hood, Higher Learning, Friday, Poetic Justice, Daddy Day Care, This Christmas, Seven Seconds, and many more.
Not only is Regina King an award winning actress, but she is an excellent director as well. She directed shows such as, Being Mary Jane, The Catch, Scandal, Greenleaf, Southland, and Insecure. Now we know she can kill it in front AND behind the camera: #BossLady! Regina King isn’t keeping all of these oppurtunites to herself though. In her recent Golden Globe acceptance speech, she said:
“And I just want to say that I’m going to use my platform right now to say in the next two years, everything that I produce, I’m making a vow — it’s going to be tough — to make sure that everything that I produce that is 50% women. And I just challenge anyone out there — anyone out there who is in a position of power, not just in our industry, in all industries — I challenge you to challenge yourselves and stand with us in solidarity and do the same.”
It’s still tough for women to receive equal opportunities in the entertainment industry, or any industry, so it’s nice to see someone use their platform, and their leverage to pull up other women. Therefore, I am glad the 76ers player, Joel Embiid, didn’t knock her head off, which he almost did. Embiid barely missed kicking Regina King in the head, as she was sitting courtside at the recent 76ers basketball game. Luckily, he jumped over her and not into her. Click here to see the close call.
Overall, I am rooting for Regina King at the Oscars and her success in general. I wanted to shine this light on Regina King because she is amazingly talented and a great representation for not only Black women, but women period. Representation matters and I hope to continue to see her and more people like her on both sides of the big screen!