Delroy Lindo overcame ‘strategic missteps’ on way to first Oscar nod
Delroy Lindo, an actor who was finally nominated for an Academy Award, had to wait only fifty years to earn that honor—to overcome”strategic missteps“This once threatened to derail his career,” he said.
Lindo, 73, has long been a character actor in film, television and on stage, earning him critical acclaim even though his industry’s highest awards have eluded him. On Thursday, Lindo earned his first Oscar nomination in the Best Supporting Actor category for his performance in the 2025 blockbuster “Sinners.”
The nomination prompted some of the actor’s supporters to criticize his “belittled” by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his work on Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods.”
He said he was “deeply disappointed” that Lindo was left out of the 2021 Oscar nominations for the role Entertainment Weekly on Thursday. Lee, himself an Oscar winner, also expressed his disappointment at Lindo’s lack of recognition at the awards: Reviewed in March 2021 He said on Instagram that this “does not negate the impact of his work spanning decades.”
Before his Oscar nomination, the actor had a long and respected career that included acclaimed performances in such notable films as “The Cider House Rules” and Lee’s “Malcolm X” and “Crooklyn.” Yet Lindo has lamented that his career floundered for several years in the mid-1990s as he gained a reputation as a “difficult” actor to work with.
“I made some strategic missteps. One of the biggest missteps was probably thinking I was important,” Lindo said. Hollywood Reporter In March 2021, she discusses why high-profile roles “dry up” for her almost three decades ago. He said he brings passion and intensity to his work, occasionally leading to conflict with directors when their creative visions don’t quite align.
At one point, Lindo withdrew from a film Lee was producing due to concerns about the script, leading to a nearly 25-year hiatus between collaborations for actor and director Lindo. I told GQ Lindo might have walked away from acting altogether if fellow actor Denzel Washington hadn’t talked him out of the idea and told Lindo he was “too good” an actor to let go, Lindo said at a “Sinners” screening in December 2025. Deadline.
“That period was about various missteps I made that perhaps made him seem less viable and less desirable as a film actor,” Lindo told GQ. “Was that frustrating and painful? Absolutely. I was trying to keep up.”
Speaking to THR, Lindo eventually realized she needed to adjust her approach to collaboration rather than hoping that her acting talent would be enough to continue landing her a high-profile gig.
“I thought it was a meritocracy, that good work begets better work. No, not exactly,” Lindo said. “I was also not as strategic or diplomatic as I could have been in some situations. I needed to communicate in a way that could not be perceived as ungrateful or arrogant.”
Communication expert: ‘Don’t think of these as conflicting conversations’
Pryor suggested reconsidering these conversations as opportunities for clarity rather than confrontations. “It has a lot to do with how we prepare and frame [conversations]”he said. “I don’t think of these as conflicting conversations. I think of these as clarifying conversations. “I’m looking for clarity on why we disagree on an issue.”
Lindo did not specify exactly how she adapted her approach to be more diplomatic when expressing her creative ideas at work, but she did return to major acting roles. In addition to her roles in “Da 5 Bloods” and “Sinners,” Lindo also had a recurring role on the Emmy Award-nominated Paramount+ series “The Good Fight” between 2017 and 2021.
Now Lindo is up for an award that many actors pursue their entire lives and careers. After enduring the ups and downs of his career, Lindo says he’s still letting that honor sink in.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Lindo said on ABC.Good Morning America” on Friday. “I’m still trading to be really honest, but it’s great.”
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