Daniel Kaluuya scores major win at SAG Awards 2021

The actor took home the award for his portrayal of Fred Hampton in 'Judas and the Black Messiah'

Fresh off his acclaimed performance hosting Saturday Night Live, Daniel Kaluuya scored a big win at the 27th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Daniel Kaluuya’s portrayal of Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah has earned the actor rave reviews and various nominations heading into the 2021 award season. From the Golden Globes, Academy Awards and SAG Awards, the actor is turning out to be a clear favorite in this year’s race.

Confirming his place in the competitive season, Kaluuya accepted the award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role at the SAG Awards on Sunday night.

Daniel Kaluuya
Daniel Kaluuya speaks onstage during the Daniel Kaluuya Spotlight Award Presentation at the 22nd SCAD Savannah Film Festival on November 02, 2019 at Trustees Theater in Savannah, Georgia. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for SCAD)

Read More: Daniel Kaluuya’s ‘SNL’ monologue rags on racism

As with the rest of the winners during this year’s ceremony, Kaluuya accepted his award virtually via Zoom during the socially-distanced broadcast.

The actor shared in his speech, “Thank you, thank you SAG for this honor. I share this with all the nominees and everyone that was apart of making Judas and the Black Messiah…man you can’t make a film without an incredible group of people that come together and want to say a truth.”

Kaluuya also used his speech to thank everyone who helped bring Judas and the Black Messiah to the big screen. He said, “I want to share this with LaKeith Stanfield, Dominique Fishback, Jermaine Fowler, and all the incredible day players that show up, and chairman Fred Hampton for guiding us and showing us his power, even now, 52 years later. This one’s for Chadwick Boseman, and this one’s for Chairman Fred Hampton.”

Kaluuya appeared in Black Panther alongside Boseman, who tragically passed away in 2020. Kaluuya opened up about Black Panther 2 in a recent appearance on The Graham Norton Show. He explained in the interview, “I don’t even understand how…we’re gonna have to honor him and give as much to his legacy as much as he gave to us, because he gave us everything.”

Read More: Daniel Kaluuya’s Golden Globes win hampered by bad audio: ‘You did me dirty!’

Kaluuya enjoyed his first time hosting Saturday Night Live this past weekend. In his opening monologue, Kaluuya called out racism in the U.K. and even referenced one of the biggest stories of this year so far: the bombshell Meghan Markle and Prince Harry interview with Oprah Winfrey.

He said in his monologue on Saturday, “I know you’re hearing my accent and thinking, ‘Oh no, he’s not Black. He’s British.’ Let me reassure you that I am Black. I’m Black and I’m British…basically, I’m what the royal family was worried the baby would look like.”

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