Da’Vine Joy Randolph is having an excellent 2024. She starred in the Oscar-winning movie The Holdovers in 2023, earning her the award for Best Supporting Actress. She also won several other awards for this role including one from the African American Film Critics Association. She’s been putting in the work in multiple roles since 2013 both on screen and as a voice actor. We’re looking at some of her biggest roles up to this point in her ongoing career.
Dolemite Is My Name (2019)
Da’Vine Joy Randolph is one of several stars in the ensemble cast of Dolemite Is My Name. She plays Lady Reed who was also known as Queen Bee and is based on a real person. Randolph spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about the importance of capturing the strength of Lady Reed in her portrayal. She was also well aware of the significance of starring opposite Eddie Murphy, and how important that was. “I quickly understood, I’ve got to meet this man toe-to-toe to the best of my abilities,” Randolph told the outlet. She won several awards for this role including ones from the Black Film Critics Circle and the Black Reel Awards.
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The United States Vs. Billie Holiday (2021)
Just after finishing shooting her role in Dolemite Is My Name, she went to shoot for The United States Vs. Billie Holiday. This was another role where she had to capture the essence of a real-life person in her role. She plays Holiday’s best friend Roslyn who is quite eccentric in every sense of the word. With different aspects of Roslyn to depict, despite little information on her, Randolph once again had a large responsibility. “That is a huge problem and part of my found drive to continue to tell these stories, so that you can look these people up, so that you can understand their history,” she told Refinery29.
High Fidelity (2020)
Television is another world that Da’Vine Joy Randolph has had a lot of success in. Her role in High Fidelity followed several acclaimed roles in shows like Empire, Veep and This Is Us. In High Fidelity, she played Cherise, a best friend of lead Zoe Kravitz’s character Rob. Cherise was a character many viewers were invested in. They were quite disappointed when they didn’t get a proper conclusion to her story because the show was canceled after one season in 2020. In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Randolph shared how she relates to Cherise’s passion. “When she feels comfortable, she can really be in her skin… I think what people are attaching to is that she’s fearless, she knows what she likes, she knows what’s important to her,” she said. She also shared how playing Cherise let her connect her music background to acting.
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On The Come Up (2022)
Da’Vine Joy Randolph stars in this movie directed by an established legend in Black film – Sanaa Lathan. Randolph plays Pooh, the aunt of the lead character Bri, a battle rapper. Pooh encourages her to continue down this path and is also her manager. In an interview with Tom Power, she spoke about how she wanted the role because it would be transformational. She shared she wants people to be surprised by the roles she takes constantly and not wanting to be typecast. Considering the role of Pooh as a masculine-dressing hustler, she accomplished her goal for sure.
Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (2022)
While most of the other roles in this list Da’Vine Joy Randolph has had are drama-based, she’s had time to do some voice acting too. In this movie, she plays Mama Luna, a motherly woman who welcomes Puss In Boots into her house. Mama Luna is a true “cat lady” with many systems in place for her cats’ comfortability which Puss is not used to. Randolph brings a motherly quality to the character through her voice acting alone and some comedic chops, too.
Rustin (2023)
While Da’Vine Joy Randolph only has one scene in this movie, it’s one of the most important roles she’s portrayed. In RUSTIN, she was cast as Mahalia Jackson. Naturally, Randolph got to show off her singing skills. She graces the screen during one of the most important scenes — the moment the March On Washington begins. The fact she was in this seminal moment in the movie is a testament to the ongoing success of her career. In an interview with Tom Power, she also shared how portraying Mahalia Jackson has always been a goal of hers as an actress.
The Holdovers (2023)
Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s role in The Holdovers is the one that captivated the world’s attention. While many of her supporters have been following her career for years, winning an Oscar allowed her to be seen by an even larger audience. In an interview with Brittany Luse for the It’s Been A Minute podcast, she shared how she pulled inspiration from the older women in her life for the role. One example of this had a special sentimental connection as she wore the same type of glasses her Grandmother wore. She also shared how capturing the authenticity of the grief her character was going through was important to her and she achieved this not only through her line delivery but her body language too.
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