Photo Credit: Gareth Cattermole By Okla Jones ·Updated February 25, 2026 Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…

Delroy Lindo’s recent Academy Award nomination is long overdue, but he has never carried himself like a man waiting for validation. His résumé spans nearly five decades, and since he began his career, it’s always been about the work. 

When the London-born actor learned of the Oscar nod for his role as Delta Slim in Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, the information came from a trusted source. “Well, my son was the one who delivered the news to me,” he said. “That, in addition to my gratitude for being nominated, it felt really right cosmically that the news was coming from my son—so things felt right on all levels.” For an actor who has built a career on discipline, this particular moment was special because of the person he was able to share it with. Also, the opportunity was one that has been several years in the making.

Lindo began in theater in the 1970s, appearing in a production of Of Mice and Men before finding deeper footing in theater through the 1980s. At Yale Repertory Theatre, under Lloyd Richards, he sharpened his craft, and his performance as Herald Loomis in August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone earned him a Tony nomination in 1988. It was the stage that shaped his instincts, and it also helped to create a foundation for his on-screen prowess.

Film audiences began to take notice of Lindo in the 1990s through his collaborations with Spike Lee in Malcolm X, Crooklyn, and Clockers, where he portrayed morally complex characters that showcased his range. On television, he portrayed Matthew Henson in Glory & Honor and Clarence Thomas in Strange Justice—the latter earning a Peabody Award—and later commanded the screen as Adrian Boseman on The Good Fight. After a challenging early 2000s, he recalibrated through television, directing, and a return to theater, a resilience that made his reunion with Lee in Da 5 Bloods all the more triumphant; the role earned him New York Film Critics Circle and National Society of Film Critics awards for Best Actor.

In Sinners, Lindo plays Delta Slim, a blues musician whose presence is symbolic beyond the horror frame of the film. “I recognized from the very first reading of the script that it was a really particular and important story,” he said. “I never viewed it as a horror story. I always felt that Ryan was using this genre to tell a much larger and a more important story.” Working with Coogler, he found a set built on trust. “Ryan has an incredible generosity and openness of spirit. He makes everybody feel like a collaborator.”

Coogler’s film has been prevalent throughout awards season, garnering nominations across a bevy of different categories, which speaks to how phenomenal it is. The chemistry behind the scenes translated on-screen. “Honestly, it felt like family,” Lindo said of his relationship with the cast. His experience working on Sinners also deepened his understanding of the blues, a genre he had encountered before, but came to have a closer relationship with through the film.

“In my lifetime, I’ve seen Muddy Waters, I’ve seen Bobby Bland, I’ve seen B.B. King—I’ve seen all those cats in concert,” Lindo explained. “I would say to you, that I have an enhanced appreciation for the music now as a result of doing this film because I have a clear perspective of what the music means culturally and historically.”

Despite all of his current success, Lindo is careful not to let his focus drift towards chasing trophies. Yes, the recognition is meaningful, but it is not the point. “One does not work for awards,” he said. “You work as much as possible to do the things you need to do.”

“I recognize how people have responded to me getting this nomination, and I recognize that for a lot of people it’s a real, real big deal, and that elevates this moment for me, not only in terms of getting the award, but also in terms of from the standpoint of all the joy that people feel for me having gotten the award,” the actor continued. “So it really amplifies the moment all the way around.”

At this point in Lindo’s career, doesn’t want to reflect on milestones, per se, however important they may be. For him, the goal is simple; take on strong roles and do them well. “I’m knocking on wood right now, but it’s the ability to continue to work, and continuing to do work that impacts the audiences, and to do work of quality,” he said. “That has always been, and will continue to be, the inspiration that keeps me going.”

TOPICS:  Delroy Lindo ryan coogler Sinners

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Author: Okla Jones

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