Michael B. Jordan, Jessie Buckley triumph at Oscars

Actor Michael B. Jordan won his first Oscar, taking home the award for best actor for his dual role in the film Sinners, while Jessie Buckley won best actress for her performance in the drama Hamnet, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.

Jordan, who received his first-ever Oscar nomination, was recognized for portraying the twin brothers Elijah “Smoke” and Elias “Stack” Moore in the vampire story directed by Ryan Coogler. In his acceptance speech, the actor thanked the director for the opportunity to be “seen and heard,” Reuters reported.

He also paid tribute to those who paved the way for African-American actors in Hollywood, mentioning Sidney Poitier, Will Smith, Denzel Washington and Jamie Foxx. Jordan promised to continue pushing himself further and concluded by thanking audiences who watched the film multiple times.

In Sinners, the 39-year-old actor plays two war veterans who try to open a modest club in Mississippi during the Great Depression using stolen money. Other nominees for best actor included Timothée Chalamet for Marty Supreme, Leonardo DiCaprio for One Battle After Another, Ethan Hawke for Blue Moon, and Wagner Moura for The Secret Agent.

In the best actress category, Irish actress Buckley won her first Oscar for portraying Agnes Hathaway, the wife of William Shakespeare, in Hamnet, where the couple faces the tragedy of losing their 11-year-old son. During her acceptance speech, the actress noted that the ceremony took place on Mother’s Day in the United Kingdom and said her thoughts were with her eight-month-old daughter.

Buckley, 36, first gained major recognition in 2018 for her role in Wild Rose, which earned her a BAFTA nomination. Over the years she has also appeared in films such as Women Talking and The Lost Daughter, as well as the TV series Chernobyl and Fargo.