SBIFF Day Nine Report: Delroy Lindo’s Deserved Spotlight; More Drive-In Docs
Delroy Lindo Rises to Deserved Spotlight; More Drive-In Docs as Film Fest Winds Down
Credit: Courtesy of SBIFF
In the impressive roster of acting talent paid tribute to by the current SBIFF model — Bill Murray, Carey Mulligan, Sacha Baron Cohen, Amanda Seyfried (showing up, Zoom-side on Friday night), and others — Delroy Lindo’s was distinctive on several fronts. Yes, he was the one black star of the single-tribute list this year, but he was also the only one not kissed by an Oscar nomination, although many have balked at the Academy’s snub, given his stunning performance in Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods, about Vietnam Vets returning to the scene of battle for a cathartic encounter.
To boot, Lindo is a vastly respected member of that ambiguous category of mostly “character actor” roles, who was more than ripe for his close-up in 2020, which Lee afforded him last year. The role came on the heels of multiple other Lee “joints” showcasing Lindo, including Malcolm X, Crooklyn (in which he played a character based on Lee’s father), and Clockers.
A few things we knew, or learned about, him during the “American Riviera Award” event moderated by Variety editor Anne Thompson: Lindo, born in England to Jamaican parents, studied acting in San Francisco and has long been steeped in the legacy and the work ethic example of theater work, which he regularly cites as a formative influence in whatever medium he is engaged in.
