Walking the Oscars red carpet is a surreal experience. And while the 93rd annual Academy Awards certainly felt different this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, that didn't stop Hollywood's biggest stars from celebrating the work of their peers.
"I am just amazed that we made it here, you know?" Regina King told Giuliana Rancic after arriving at the event on April 25. "I think we were in the car together and we were just like, 'This is actually happening.'…Feels good, feels a little weird, but it feels good."
King's film One Night in Miami…was nominated in three categories. Leslie Odom Jr.—who stars in the film alongside Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree and Aldis Hodge—was in the running for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and Best Original Song, and writer Kemp Powers was up for Best Adapted Screenplay. The movie—which is a fictionalized account of a 1964 meeting between Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Jim Brown and Sam Cooke—also marked King's directorial debut.
"I love directing," she said. "I find myself putting myself in those roles myself. It's really fascinating finding different styles of communication for each actor because everyone's different and everyone wants to feel heard and feel that your director is like a coach, like, championing you. And so, I have four amazing actors to embody those men and it's been an amazing ride. "
King opened the award show by walking into Los Angeles' Union Station in a stunning diamond-embellished baby blue Louis Vuitton gown and the coveted Oscar in hand.
After her opening monologue—which referenced the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial and detailed the safety precautions the Oscars attendees were taking amid the COVID-19 pandemic—the 50-year-old actress presented the honor for Best Original Screenplay, which was awarded to Promising Young Woman filmmaker Emerald Fennell.
King has an Oscar on her trophy shelf, too. In 2019, she was named Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in If Beale Street Could Talk.