Da’Vine Joy Randolph says ‘God is so good’ after winning Oscar

By Leah MarieAnn Klett, Assistant Editor Monday, March 11, 2024

Actress Da’Vine Joy Randolph stressed that “God is so good” and honored her mother after winning the award for Best Supporting Actress at the 2024 Academy Awards for her role in the film “The Holdovers.”

“God is so good,” she began. “God is so good. You know, I think I was supposed to be doing this as a career. I started off as a singer, and my mother said to me, go across that street to that theater department: There’s something for you there. And I thank my mother for doing that.”

Randolph continued: “I thank you to all the people who have stepped in my path and have been there for me. Who has ushered me and guided me. I am so grateful to all you beautiful people out here. For so long, I’ve always wanted to be different, and now I realize, I just need to be myself. And I thank you. I thank you for seeing me.”

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The actress received the award for her role in “The Holdovers” as Mary Lamb, a cook at the fictional Barton Academy who just lost a son in the Vietnam War. It’s there that she forms an unlikely bond with a brainy but damaged student and a curmudgeonly instructor (Paul Giamatti) who are forced to stay on campus during Christmas break.

Randolph previously won awards at the Golden Globes, the BAFTAs, Critics’ Choice Awards, SAG Awards and others for the role. With her big win on Sunday, the actress beat out Emily Blunt (“Oppenheimer”), Danielle Brooks (“The Color Purple”), America Ferrera (“Barbie”) and Jodie Foster (“Nyad”). 

Randolph previously explained that she believes her career success is evidence that “God has a bigger plan.”

“I’ve been the ‘breakthrough’ in almost every project I’ve done,” the 37-year-old told USA Today. “At first, I thought that was bad, like, ‘Dang, am I not that memorable?’ But I had to reframe that in my mind: If you’re fresh and new and being discovered in every project, that’s a win.”

“You can seemingly be going along and everything is great, and then you slide down. But if you keep playing, you can jump right back up. And that’s life, especially in this industry. It’s more about trusting that your path is your path.”

Though rated R and not a faith-based film, “The Holdovers” has been applauded by Christian critics for emphasizing “grace” and serving as a “lovely celebration of the life-giving necessity of friendship, mentorship, and found family in a lonely world.”

“In truth, “The Holdovers” features a sense of healing that is mutual amongst all three left at the school. The path that takes them there provides gentle lessons of compassion for all involved in community making. And, for Christian people, that’s all of us!” wrote another Christian critic.

Other big winners at the awards show on Sunday night, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, included “Oppenheimer,” which took seven awards during the night: Christopher Nolan won Best Director, Cillian Murphy won Best Actor and Robert Downey Jr. won Best Supporting Actor. The film also won awards for Best Cinematography, Best Original Score and Best Film Editing.

Emma Stone won Best Actress for “Poor Things,” which also won awards for best costume design, production design, and makeup and hairstyling.

Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki’s “The Boy and the Heron” was named Best Animated Feature, while Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell won the Oscar for Best Original Song for “What Was I Made For?” from “Barbie.”