Jeffrey Wright is one of the five actors nominated for the Best Actor Award for his film American Fiction at the 96th Academy Awards. Wright has been a prominent name in this award season, winning nominations in Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice Awards, and SAG Awards. The What If…? actor revealed that he would have damaged his screens if the news were any different from the Academy.
Along with Wright, the film received five nominations in total. The other nominations include Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, and Best Supporting Actor for Sterling K. Brown. Director Cord Jefferson earlier won the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Jeffrey Wright Expected Nothing Less Than A Nomination From The Academy
In American Fiction, Jeffrey Wright plays the role of fictional writer Thelonious “Monk” Ellison who is frustrated that his critically praised work fails to garner significant sales. Monk writes a book incorporating all Black stereotypes as a satire, only to find it achieving both high sales and praise upon publication. The interesting premise of the film was based on the 2001 novel, Erasure, by Percival Everett.
The film was a hit on the festival circuit and collected $8.9 million at the box office. Wright’s performance in the film was anticipated to receive recognition in the major awards. When the Oscar nominations were announced on January 23, Wright was among the five Best Actor nominees. Wright revealed to The New York Times that he would have been disappointed if he had been overlooked for the nomination.
He revealed that during the announcement of the nominations, he had only his phone with him. The Batman actor took this precaution out of fear that he would damage the screens if the news was unfavorable. When his phone started lighting up, Wright sensed that it would be good news. Notably, this nomination is The Hunger Games actor’s first at the Oscars, despite previously winning a Primetime Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Tony Award. Wright told The New York Times:
“I didn’t have screens on beyond my phone, which I kept an eye on. I was afraid that I might do damage to one of the screens if the news were different. So I just let the phone tell me what had happened and it started to light up and it seemed that the news was good.”
Wright revealed that he was proud of his film. The Rustin actor shared that the crew realized the potential of the film while they were making it. Upon release, audiences also agreed with the crew that American Fiction was indeed a special film. As Wright gears up for the Oscars, he faces tough competition, including Cillian Murphy for Oppenheimer, Paul Giamatti for The Holdovers, Colman Domingo for Rustin, and Bradley Cooper for Maestro.
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Jeffrey Wright Explains Why American Fiction‘s Nominations Are Important
American Fiction writer/director Cord Jefferson wrote the role of Monk with Jeffrey Wright in mind. Wright revealed that he was attracted to the character upon initial reading. The Casino Royale actor expressed particular admiration for the first scene of the film, which immediately caught his attention. Wright shared that the scene was “sharply drawn and smart and funny, and a wonderful framing of a conversation.”
However, for Wright, what sets the nominations for American Fiction apart is its underdog status compared to the other big-budget nominees. The film was made on a budget comparable to the “craft services budget” of the other films. It took only 25 days to complete the film’s production. The Asteroid City actor shared that these “little guys” were able to interest audiences in great numbers with their film.
Jeffrey Wright also added that the nominations meant so much for his career, as they had garnered him a level of support he hadn’t experienced with any of his previous leading projects.
