Oscars 2021: Delroy Lindo Being Snubbed Has ‘Da 5 Bloods’ Fans Fuming

The 2021 Oscars are nearly here, but fans still can’t believe that actor Delroy Lindo was not nominated for his performance in Da 5 Bloods. The Netflix original film was lauded as a triumph for both Lindo and director Spike Lee, among other cast members. Lindo’s absence from the nominee list infuriated movie fans back in March, and some are even saying they will abstain from the award show this weekend.

Lindo gave a heart-wrenching performance as Vietnam War veteran Paul in Da 5 Bloods. His character was one of five Black American veterans returning to Vietnam to find their fallen commander and revisit their pasts. From the outset, Paul was the one with the most unresolved trauma, which came back to haunt him on their trip. He also played a younger version of himself in the movie’s eerie split timeline, where their leader, Norman (Chadwick Boseman) was alive.

Paul was undoubtedly the vulnerable center of all the emotions at play in the movie, between him coming to terms with his own PTSD and his son, David (Jonathan Majors), tagging along on the trip. The whole movie was well-received by critics and general audiences alike, with Lindo’s performance drawing particular praise.

“Delroy Lindo should be an instant contender for best actor,” wrote The Chicago Sun-Times‘ film critic Richard Roeper at the time, and he was not alone. Many took it for granted that Lindo would get his nomination, so when it didn’t come, it was shocking. Here is a look at what people are saying on Lindo’s behalf.

Egregious

Many outraged fans compared Lindo’s snub to the performances that actually did win the “Best Actor” Oscar over the last few years, and they were outraged. They saw no excuse for this misfire.

Whole Movie

In addition to Lindo, some were surprise that Da 5 Bloods itself didn’t get more nominations. Some thought the movie deserved awards for directing, writing, cinematography or even Best Picture. Instead, it was nominated only for Best Original Score.

All Garbage

Many people said that Lindo’s snub actually detracted from the importance of the Oscars as a whole, making other awards it handed out mean less since it ignored such a titanic performance.

Presumption

Among the people who simply assumed Lindo would get an Oscar nomination was filmmaker Barry Jenkins, who posted an old photo he had taken when Da 5 Bloods first came out. In hindsight, he was baffled that it missed the mark.

Other Snubs

Fans acknowledged other snubs at the Oscars this year too — including other Black actors left off of the nominations list. However, the conversations often led back to Lindo as the most surprising and disapppointing one.

His Own Words

Some fans shared a clip from a recent podcast where Lindo himself discussed the Oscar buzz around his performance. It made some feel better that Lindo has dealt with this kind of disappointment in the past, and has a healthy perspective on it.

Outrage

For many fans, it was too soon to take a nuanced look at Lindo’s snub. Their outrage response was too strong to set aside for now.