Netflix has recently announced, per Variety, that they plan to campaign Delroy Lindo’s role in Da 5 Bloods for best actor at the 2021 Oscars. 

Spike Lee’s latest joint, Da 5 Bloods, was released on Netflix on June 12th. The story follows four Vietnam veterans, played by Lindo, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis, and Isaiah Whitlock Jr., revisiting the country decades after the war, in search of their friend’s remains. In addition, the film boasts a cast including Jonathan Majors(The Last Black Man in San Francisco), Paul Walter Hauser(Richard Jewell), Chadwick Boseman(Avengers Endgame) and many other wonderful actors. 

If the academy does vote Lindo in as a nomination, it is well deserved, if not a tad surprising. The British character actor puts on an all-time great performance as Paul in Da 5 Bloods. Filled with sadness, anger, and regret, the performance makes the audience infuriated while simultaneously sympathetic toward Paul, who shows the nuance of the story.

However, the film, as seen from the robust cast, is a wholly ensemble piece. Though if there is a lead, it would be Lindo, as he spends much of the film either with his son (Jonathan Majors) or monologuing to himself in the forests of Vietnam. 

This nomination would be huge for Lindo, especially in the best actor category, as the 67-year old actor has been in the industry for nearly five decades and has been nominated for a Tony Award in 1988 and Screen Actors Guild Awards in 1996 and 2000, though all three were in featured roles. 

This year, in a mix of a meaningful performance and a lack of new releases due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Lindo has an opportunity to get an Oscar nomination and possibly an Oscar win. Not for featured player, not for supporting actor, but for best lead actor. 

With awards season coming fast, Netflix and Lee is making sure that Lindo’s performance is not forgotten. There are a few other films streaming on Netflix that could garner buzz come awards season, but most studios have pushed much of their slate back. It will be an intriguing Oscar season that could very well be virtual. 

Da 5 Bloods is streaming on Netflix now.