'Selma' Director Ava DuVernay Posts Teary Behind-the-Scenes Video of Star David Oyelowo
The Theory of Everything star and newly-crowned Best Actor winner Eddie Redmayne certainly did the work both onscreen and on the campaign trail to win an Oscar on Sunday night. But after watching this video above of David Oyelowo giving it his all as Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma, the actor’s wing of the Academy may be regretting not including him among the nominees.
Selma director Ava DuVernay tweeted out the video last night with the message, “I never shared this. I saved it for today. A special outtake of my hero. I love you, David. You are my Best Actor.” The moving clip shows Oyelowo’s final day on set, when he was filming King’s Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech. We see his masterful interpretation of King’s oratory and then hear DuVernay out-of-frame say, “Hold your applause until I say, ‘It’s a picture wrap on David Oyelowo.’” An emotional Oyelowo breaks down in tears and embraces DuVernay as he gets a standing ovation from the cast.
Oyelowo was famously snubbed in the Oscar Best Actor category despite a remarkable performance in the Best Picture nominee. He has been quite gracious over the last month, attending awards shows in support of the film, which lost Best Picture on Sunday to Birdman. But still, the snub — which left the Best Actor category filled with white men — has not gone forgotten.
DuVernary has largely stayed above the fray, but in Berlin earlier this month, she told press that she was “disappointed” by the Oyelowo snub, saying that "I don’t need anyone to tell me that it’s one of the best performances of 2014."
