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Fans of Brian Tyree Henry celebrated the actor’s first Oscar nomination after representatives for the 95th Academy Awards announced this year’s nominees early Tuesday morning.
Henry secured the nomination for best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for the film “Causeway,” the Wrap reported. After acting in over 30 films and television shows since 2009, Henry finally achieved a coveted nomination, and Black Twitter was quick to give him his flowers.
“For a long time, I used acting as a shield. I was like, ‘Well, that’s them. That’s not me,’” Brian Tyree Henry told Variety in early January. The actor opened up about a defense mechanism he used to seperate himself from his characters.
“Now, it’s gotten to a point where people can see the performance, but they’re also getting closer to seeing me at the same time. And it feels bizarre,” he admits. “But it also feels necessary, because then there’s a care that goes into what people want for me, instead of what they want from me. It really touches me every day.”
Brian Tyree Henry secures Oscar nomination at 95th Academy Awards
Set in New Orleans, Apple TV’s “Causeway” follows the story of a U.S. soldier who struggles to adjust to life back home after suffering a traumatic brain injury in Afghanistan.
Henry plays the character James Aucoin, an amputee who bonds with the struggling soldier, played by Jennifer Lawrence. It’s a role that Henry said forced him to wrestle with his own personal trauma.
“I always want to remind the viewer that you are denying yourself such an amazing opportunity to know somebody incredibly human, incredibly kind, if you don’t allow them into your living room or your space,” Henry said about the characters he plays.
Known for roles in “Atlanta” and “Bullet Train,” Henry has been racking up film credits since appearing in a 2009 episode of Law and Order, according to IMDB.
His most recent role in “Causeway” also earned him Variety’s Creative Impact Award for Breakthrough Performance.
Overall, the Netflix film “Everything Everywhere All At Once leads the pack with 11 Oscar nominations.
For her part, Angela Bassett was graced with a nomination for best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for her portrayal of Black Panther’s grieving mother in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Henry and Bassett appear to be the only Black nominees for any single actor category this year.
The 95th Oscars, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will take place on March 12 at the Dolby Theater. It will be telecast live on ABC.