Sterling K Brown has insisted he’s absolutely over the moon about his recent Oscar nomination, but he’s not exactly clearing space in his display cabinet.
The former This Is Us star has been nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the upcoming Academy Awards for his performance in the film American Fiction, which is due to hit cinemas in the UK next week.
During an interview on Friday’s edition of The Graham Norton Show, Sterling told the host: “There’s no losing yet. It will happen in its own good time. But I know I am not going to win, and I am totally fine with that.”
“Robert Downey Jr. is going to win,” he continued, noting that the Oppenheimer actor’s performance in the Christopher Nolan epic is “incredibly deserving” of the Academy Award.
“The fact that I get to be nominated along with him, Robert De Niro, Ryan Gosling, and Mark Ruffalo is incredible,” Sterling added. “I am just happy to be in the room.”
Oppenheimer is the leading film at this year’s Oscars, where it’s up for an epic 13 awards, including specific acting nods for cast members Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt and Robert Downey Jr, as well as director Christopher Nolan.
American Fiction, meanwhile, is up for an enviable five nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Jeffrey Wright.
The comedy-drama centres around a cynical writer who decides to write a “stereotypically Black” book intended as satire, only for it to achieve huge success when people take it seriously.
“It is a very funny satire on how mainstream media often see Black people in very narrow perspectives, which isn’t the whole story,” Sterling said of the project.
“Every experience is different, and the film tries to show the humanity that exists in all of us.”
Watch Sterling K Brown’s interview in full on The Graham Norton Show airing on Friday night at 10.40pm on BBC One.