After fellow star Chris Evans helped King up to the stage,King thanked "If Beale Street Could Talk" author James Baldwin and the movie's director, Barry Jenkins, for nurturing the film's story.
"It's appropriate for me to be standing here because I'm an example of what it looks like when support and love is poured into someone. Mom, I love you so much," King said before she was overcome with tears. As she paused, the crowd began to cheer and applaud.
ADVERTISEMENT
"Thank you for teaching me that God is always leaning always has been leaning in my direction," King said before cracking an inside joke and saying a word which sounded like "gamosas."
The camera cut to King's mother, sitting in the front row of the audience next to Chris Evans, and a tear fell from her eye as she laughed and cried at the same time. The touching speech opened the 91st Academy Awards, and marked King's first-ever Oscar win.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7scHLrJxnppdkr6p7y6Kdnqukrrmme9aaq5ygXaTApK3RZq6ipp6av26%2BxKCgp5ldoLavs4ytn5qmm2K1pr6MpqatoJWneqK%2FjK2fnrFdl7y1tIycqbJlkZvBpr6MrJ%2BeZZ6Wr7R506GcaGiYarNyr5Y%3D