American actor and musician, LaKeith Stanfield, has spent his career showing us his versatile nature in his craft. Stanfield was nominated for two NAACP Image Awards; best actor in a film for his role in “Judas and the Black Messiah” and for his supporting efforts in “The Harder They Fall.” During the virtual red carpet, he answered questions about his career and what he plans on doing next.
In his NAACP nominations, Stanfield is against some heavy hitters like Denzel Washington and Will Smith, who have been in their careers for years. It was questioned what is it like to watch his career progress. “Its always nice to be appreciated for your work,” he said in response. “You just try to do your best work and when people notice that if feels good. Particularly when my peers notice it.” He us humbled that his fellow academy member and the Black community in general are giving him his accolades while he is alive. Through his acting they “connect to the work or the particular experience,” and he expresses his excitement to be a part of that as it continues to develop.
Although we celebrate this good news with Stanfield and his nominations, he also spoke on some sad news with the end of popular series, Atlanta. It was prematurely announced this month by creator, Donald Glover, that Atlanta will not be returning fo another season. “That wasn’t supposed to be public information. Now that the cat is out of the bag, I was very overwhelmed. I was thinking of all the years we spent together and just how much I love these people,” he said disappointed. “[Atlanta] was the Blackest set I’ve ever been on. It was just beautiful to walk on and see Black people in the makeup chair, to the directors, to the people writing it. It was beautiful to see that because I have never seen that before.” This project was a real family thing and he explains that you do not see that to often.
Congratulations to Stanfeild and his psuccess in his career!