Delroy Lindo, finally an Oscar-nominated actor, only had to wait five decades to earn this honor – overcoming “strategic missteps” which threatened to derail his career along the way, he said.
Lindo, 73, is a longtime actor whose appearances in film, television and stage have earned him rave reviews, even as his industry’s top honors have eluded him. THURSDAY, Lindo got his first Oscar nominationin the Best Supporting Actor category, for his work in the 2025 blockbuster “Sinners.”
The nomination comes five years after some of the actor’s supporters complained that he had been “snubbed” by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his work in the Spike Lee film “Da 5 Bloods.”
Lindo was “deeply disappointed” to be excluded from the 2021 Oscar nominations for the role, he said. Weekly Entertainment THURSDAY. Lee, himself an Oscar winner, also expressed his disappointment at Lindo’s lack of recognition, commenting in March 2021 on Instagram that this “does not take away from the impact of his work that spans decades.”
Prior to his Oscar nomination, the actor had a long and respected career that included acclaimed performances in notable films such as “The Cider House Rules” and the Lee-directed “Malcolm X” and “Crooklyn.” Yet Lindo lamented that his career floundered for several years in the mid-1990s as he developed a reputation as a “difficult” actor to work with, he said.
“I made some strategic missteps. Probably one of the biggest missteps was thinking I was important,” Lindo said. The Hollywood Reporter in March 2021, explaining why high-profile roles “dried up” for him nearly three decades ago. He brought passion and intensity to his work, sometimes leading him to clash with directors when their creative visions didn’t completely align, he said.
At one point, Lindo dropped out of a Lee-produced film due to concerns over the script, leading to a nearly 25-year hiatus between actor and director Lindo’s collaborations. told GQ in April 2021. He might have given up on acting altogether if fellow actor Denzel Washington hadn’t talked him out of the idea, telling Lindo he was “too good” an actor to quit, Lindo said at a screening of “Sinners” in December 2025, according to Deadline.
“That period of time has to do with these various missteps that I made, which made me perhaps seen as less viable as a film actor, less desirable,” Lindo told GQ. “Was it frustrating and painful? Absolutely. I was playing catch-up.”
Ultimately, Lindo realized he needed to adjust his approach to collaboration, rather than hoping his acting talent would be enough to keep landing him high-profile work, he told THR.
“I thought it was a meritocracy, that good work would beget more good work. No, not quite,” Lindo said. “I also wasn’t as strategic or diplomatic as I could have been in certain situations. I needed to communicate in a way that couldn’t be perceived as ungrateful or stubborn.”
Communication expert: “Don’t think of them as confrontational conversations”
Effective communication is a key skill that can make or break anyone’s career, some experts say. Mastering the art of having difficult conversations at work — like offering constructive criticism with a coworker or respectfully disagreeing with your boss — can help. advance in your career without alienating othersworkplace expert Henna Pryor told CNBC Make It on August 21.
Try to reframe these conversations as opportunities to seek clarity, rather than confrontations, Pryor recommended. “A lot depends on how we prepare and supervise [conversations]” she said. “I don’t view them as confrontational conversations. I view them as clarifying conversations. I’m looking for clarification on an issue, on why we disagree.”
Lindo hasn’t said exactly how he’s adapted his approach to be more diplomatic when expressing his creative opinions at work, but he’s back to landing notable acting roles. In addition to her roles in “Da 5 Bloods” and “Sinners,” Lindo also landed a recurring role on the Emmy-nominated Paramount+ series “The Good Fight” between 2017 and 2021.
Now Lindo is in the running for an award that many actors spend their entire lives and careers chasing. Having endured the ups and downs of his own career, Lindo says he always lets honor sink in.
“It’s great,” Lindo told ABC’s “Hello AmericaFriday. “I’m still processing, if I’m really honest, but it’s wonderful.”
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