Jamie Foxx & Morgan Freeman win best acting awards at Oscars

Jet, March 14, 2005

Jamie Foxx and Morgan Freeman made Academy Award history becoming the first Black men to win best acting awards in the same year.

Foxx had always been the front-runner for best actor for his mesmerizing role as musical legend Ray Charles in the hit biography Ray. Freeman won the best supporting actor Oscar for his role in the boxing drama Million Dollar Baby. Both received standing ovations when they took to the stage at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood at the 77th Annual Academy Awards.

Foxx's acceptance speech was almost as emotional as his role in the film. He thanked his 11-year-old daughter Corrine for telling him that even if he didn't win he was still great. The toughest part, he said fighting back tears, was thanking his recently deceased grandmother who raised him in Texas. He called her his first acting teacher, pointing out that she always said "act like you got some sense ... Now, she still talks to me in my dreams. And I can't wait to go to sleep tonight because we got a lot to talk about. I love you."

From the stage, Freeman thanked Clint Eastwood for giving him a chance to work with him again. The two worked together in the Academy Award-winning Unforgiven 12 years ago. He also said: "I want to thank everybody and anybody who had anything to do with the making of this film."

The last time two Black performers won in the same year occurred three years ago when Denzel Washington and Halle Berry won top acting honors for Training Day and Monster's Ball respectively (JET, April 8, 2002).

The other Black nominees this year were Don Cheadle (best actor) and Sophie Okonedo (best supporting actress) for their roles in Hotel Rwanda. Foxx was also nominated as best supporting actor for Collateral.

Mighty Times: The Children's March, a documentary short subject which deals with segregation in the 1960s, also won an Oscar in that category.

Backstage, Foxx talked to reporters about the significance of the wins for Freeman and him.

He mentioned that he'd had a very moving meeting with screen legend Sidney Poitier and talked about the advice he'd received. "He'd seen my speeches and he said 'be responsible for your work.'"

Beyond his family, Foxx's biggest thanks went out to Ray Charles for being such a huge creative force. He told reporters that he's grateful that now new generations are being exposed to his music.

"There were people at my house from (ages) 18 to 50 and we all were dancing to his music."

Foxx's Oscar came on his very first nomination. This was Freeman's fourth nomination. Previously, he was nominated for Street Smart in 1987, Driving Miss Daisy in 1989 and Shawshank Redemption in 1994.

Freeman spoke backstage and talked about his feelings following his nomination for Driving Miss Daisy: "After Driving Miss Daisy, I became philosophical about the Oscars. It occurred to me that winning the nomination is probably the height of it. It's about as far as you can really reasonably go. And after that, it's pretty arbitrary because, I mean, how can any of us be best? Who can? But when they call your name, all of that goes out the window."

The ceremony was hosted by comedian Chris Rock, who came onstage to a standing ovation. He told the black-tie crowd: "Thank-you. Now sit your ass down." The irreverent comic took potshots at various Hollywood celebrities such as Cuba Gooding Jr. and Jude Law as well as political icons. He even took jabs at himself, pointing out that he's no Denzel Washington.

His lines were kept pretty clean because he said he's never cursed in front of his mother, who was in attendance.

Rock joins a short but impressive list of Black hosts of the Academy Awards. Previously, it was hosted by Sammy Davis Jr., Diana Ross, Richard Pryor and Whoopi Goldberg. He said he would host the telecast again if asked. "Who knows if they would want me again," he said.

Beyond the emotion of Foxx and Freeman's wins, one of the high points of the evening was when Beyonce showed her vocal range by singing three of the five nominated songs. Backed by the American Boychoir, she sang Look to Your Path from The Chorus in French. She also sang themes from Learn to be Lonely from Phantom of the Opera and was joined by Josh Groban in a duet of Believe from The Polar Express.

Black presenters included Halle Berry, Samuel L. Jackson, Prince and Sean Combs.