WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.839 Welcome back to the Deep Dive. Today, we're diving 00:00:02.839 --> 00:00:06.240 deep into an artist whose recent triumphs feel, 00:00:06.440 --> 00:00:08.619 well, both like a whirlwind and somehow completely 00:00:08.619 --> 00:00:12.119 earned. Divine Joy Randolph. Absolutely. And, 00:00:12.160 --> 00:00:14.039 you know, Time magazine naming her one of the 00:00:14.039 --> 00:00:17.620 100 most influential people in 2024. That really 00:00:17.620 --> 00:00:20.460 underscores her impact right now. It really does. 00:00:20.620 --> 00:00:22.280 And that's why we wanted to do this deep dive, 00:00:22.320 --> 00:00:24.379 because I think for a lot of people, she sort 00:00:24.379 --> 00:00:26.640 of burst onto the scene with that incredible 00:00:26.640 --> 00:00:30.129 Oscar win. But when you look at the sources, 00:00:30.170 --> 00:00:32.009 when you dig into her background, there's this 00:00:32.009 --> 00:00:35.570 incredibly rigorous classical training foundation 00:00:35.570 --> 00:00:37.350 there. Yeah. It's quite remarkable, actually. 00:00:37.369 --> 00:00:38.829 It really is. She wasn't an overnight success. 00:00:38.909 --> 00:00:41.609 She was built, crafted through years of intense 00:00:41.609 --> 00:00:44.789 work. Exactly. So our mission today is to unpack 00:00:44.789 --> 00:00:46.950 that whole journey. We're going chronologically, 00:00:47.130 --> 00:00:50.149 starting with her early life, that intense education. 00:00:50.189 --> 00:00:52.210 Yeah, the opera. The opera roots, then moving 00:00:52.210 --> 00:00:54.570 through her Broadway debut, her shift to screen 00:00:54.570 --> 00:00:56.850 roles, both comedy and drama. All that versatility. 00:00:57.369 --> 00:00:59.270 And culminating, of course, in the holdovers 00:00:59.270 --> 00:01:03.909 and that just astonishing award sweep. And what 00:01:03.909 --> 00:01:07.010 you'll see, I think, is how each big moment connects 00:01:07.010 --> 00:01:09.930 back to that early groundwork. It's a fascinating 00:01:09.930 --> 00:01:12.909 trajectory, really shows the power of deep preparation. 00:01:13.629 --> 00:01:16.290 So where do we start? The beginning, I guess. 00:01:16.840 --> 00:01:18.719 Let's start right at the beginning. Philadelphia, 00:01:19.000 --> 00:01:23.840 Pennsylvania, born May 21st, 1986. And even before 00:01:23.840 --> 00:01:25.819 we get into the arts training, we need to talk 00:01:25.819 --> 00:01:28.099 about her name. Oh, yeah. The name story is lovely. 00:01:28.299 --> 00:01:30.040 It really is. It gives you a little window into 00:01:30.040 --> 00:01:32.060 her family, doesn't it? It does. So her first 00:01:32.060 --> 00:01:35.019 name, it's pronounced Davine Joy, like two separate 00:01:35.019 --> 00:01:38.400 names, no middle name. Davine Joy. Yeah. And 00:01:38.400 --> 00:01:40.719 the story our sources highlight is that her parents, 00:01:40.799 --> 00:01:43.900 they tried for seven years to have a child. Wow. 00:01:44.329 --> 00:01:46.730 Seven years. Yeah. And so when she was born, 00:01:46.769 --> 00:01:49.010 they called her their divine joy. Ah, that's 00:01:49.010 --> 00:01:50.909 beautiful. Sort of sets a certain expectation, 00:01:51.170 --> 00:01:53.590 maybe. A blessing. Definitely a sense of destiny, 00:01:53.730 --> 00:01:56.670 perhaps. And she grew up in Mount Airy, Philly. 00:01:56.829 --> 00:01:59.430 And this is where the serious foundational work 00:01:59.430 --> 00:02:00.829 really kicks in. We're not just talking about 00:02:00.829 --> 00:02:03.030 high school drama club here. No, not at all. 00:02:03.069 --> 00:02:05.769 This is next level stuff. Absolutely. So she 00:02:05.769 --> 00:02:08.009 intended Interlochen Arts Camp first. That's 00:02:08.009 --> 00:02:10.330 already a pretty elite environment. Focus on 00:02:10.330 --> 00:02:12.949 theater initially. Okay. But then Temple University. 00:02:13.659 --> 00:02:15.759 And this is the key thing. She didn't just study 00:02:15.759 --> 00:02:18.379 theater. She focused on classical vocal performance. 00:02:19.199 --> 00:02:22.719 Opera. Opera. That always stands out to me because 00:02:22.719 --> 00:02:25.219 you look at her peers, other major award -winning 00:02:25.219 --> 00:02:27.819 actors today, and that specific background is, 00:02:27.939 --> 00:02:31.599 well, it's rare. It's incredibly rare for screen 00:02:31.599 --> 00:02:33.659 actors. So what does that give you, that intense 00:02:33.659 --> 00:02:35.659 technical opera training? Yeah. How does that 00:02:35.659 --> 00:02:38.680 translate beyond singing? Oh, it's huge. Mechanically, 00:02:38.680 --> 00:02:41.699 you get insane breath control, vocal stamina. 00:02:41.919 --> 00:02:44.840 Right. The ability to project and sustain your 00:02:44.840 --> 00:02:46.819 voice without damage. That's crucial even for 00:02:46.819 --> 00:02:48.900 stage acting, let alone singing. Right, endurance. 00:02:49.219 --> 00:02:51.240 Exactly. But maybe even more importantly, it 00:02:51.240 --> 00:02:54.900 gives you this deep understanding of vocal texture, 00:02:55.080 --> 00:02:58.819 rhythm, pitch, how sound itself conveys emotion, 00:02:59.000 --> 00:03:01.020 sometimes more than the words. You learn to use 00:03:01.020 --> 00:03:03.719 your voice like a finely tuned instrument. I 00:03:03.719 --> 00:03:06.860 see. So she had this amazing vocal toolkit, but 00:03:06.860 --> 00:03:08.939 then she made a switch at Temple. Yeah, a really 00:03:08.939 --> 00:03:11.900 interesting pivot. In her junior year, she shifted 00:03:11.900 --> 00:03:14.639 her focus from classical opera to musical theater. 00:03:14.840 --> 00:03:17.520 Okay. Why do you think she did that? Well... 00:03:17.740 --> 00:03:19.979 One can only speculate, but it suggests maybe 00:03:19.979 --> 00:03:22.400 she wanted a broader canvas, you know, where 00:03:22.400 --> 00:03:25.419 acting, dialogue, movement were just as central 00:03:25.419 --> 00:03:28.360 as the singing. But she still graduated in 2008 00:03:28.360 --> 00:03:31.319 with that powerful musical foundation. The opera 00:03:31.319 --> 00:03:33.620 training didn't vanish. It just became this sort 00:03:33.620 --> 00:03:36.819 of secret weapon. A secret weapon. I like that. 00:03:37.139 --> 00:03:39.780 And the education didn't stop at Temple. Not 00:03:39.780 --> 00:03:43.039 by a long shot. No way. Post -grad, she aimed 00:03:43.039 --> 00:03:45.759 for the very top. She got into and graduated 00:03:45.759 --> 00:03:48.900 from the Yale School of Drama, master's degree 00:03:48.900 --> 00:03:52.240 in 2011. Yale. Okay, that's serious dramatic 00:03:52.240 --> 00:03:54.199 training. Absolutely. One of the best programs 00:03:54.199 --> 00:03:55.740 in the world. That's where you really hone acting 00:03:55.740 --> 00:03:58.280 instincts, text analysis, applying that voice 00:03:58.280 --> 00:04:00.900 to complex dramatic and comedic roles. It refines 00:04:00.900 --> 00:04:03.659 everything. As if temple opera and Yale drama 00:04:03.659 --> 00:04:05.840 weren't enough. Yeah. She added Shakespeare. 00:04:06.039 --> 00:04:09.139 Yep. She also studied overseas. She's an alumna 00:04:09.139 --> 00:04:11.460 of the British American Drama Academy, BADA. 00:04:11.919 --> 00:04:14.280 Spent a summer studying Shakespeare at Oxford. 00:04:14.580 --> 00:04:17.379 So think about the combination. Opera voice, 00:04:17.680 --> 00:04:21.060 Yale analysis, Shakespearean language and presence. 00:04:21.379 --> 00:04:25.360 She basically built this artistic toolkit that 00:04:25.360 --> 00:04:28.199 could handle almost anything. High drama, broad 00:04:28.199 --> 00:04:31.519 comedy, musical theater. She was ready. And that 00:04:31.519 --> 00:04:33.480 readiness paid off almost immediately, didn't 00:04:33.480 --> 00:04:35.399 it? Straight out of that intense training period 00:04:35.399 --> 00:04:38.290 and onto Broadway. Pretty much instantly. 2012, 00:04:38.750 --> 00:04:42.250 she makes her Broadway debut, Ghost, the musical. 00:04:42.490 --> 00:04:45.209 And not just in the chorus, she lands the iconic 00:04:45.209 --> 00:04:48.269 role of Oda Mae Brown. The Whoopi Goldberg role 00:04:48.269 --> 00:04:50.709 from the movie. That's a huge part. Huge. And 00:04:50.709 --> 00:04:52.870 the casting story itself is fantastic. It really 00:04:52.870 --> 00:04:54.949 speaks to her talent just shining through. How 00:04:54.949 --> 00:04:57.930 so? Well, the sources say she didn't even go 00:04:57.930 --> 00:05:01.410 in aiming for Oda Mae Brown initially. She auditioned 00:05:01.410 --> 00:05:03.769 for an understudy position for the Broadway transfer. 00:05:03.810 --> 00:05:06.399 An understudy. Seriously? Seriously. But apparently 00:05:06.399 --> 00:05:08.540 she blew them away in the audition. They saw 00:05:08.540 --> 00:05:10.600 her potential and cast her directly in the principal 00:05:10.600 --> 00:05:12.600 role. That's incredible talk about making an 00:05:12.600 --> 00:05:14.500 impression. Right. But before the Broadway show 00:05:14.500 --> 00:05:16.500 even opened, she got thrown into the deep end. 00:05:16.720 --> 00:05:20.420 Oh. What happened? The actress playing Oda Mae 00:05:20.420 --> 00:05:23.160 in the London production, Sharon D. Clarke, had 00:05:23.160 --> 00:05:25.939 a minor knee injury. This was just as they were 00:05:25.939 --> 00:05:29.439 finalizing the Broadway transfer. Ah. Okay. Bad 00:05:29.439 --> 00:05:31.899 timing. For Clarke, yeah. Yeah. But maybe good 00:05:31.899 --> 00:05:34.180 timing for Randolph. They needed someone strong, 00:05:34.399 --> 00:05:37.079 quickly, so they flew Divine over to London to 00:05:37.079 --> 00:05:39.459 cover the role. Wow. So her actual professional 00:05:39.459 --> 00:05:41.889 debut in the role? was in the West End. Yeah, 00:05:42.009 --> 00:05:45.750 December 16th, 2011. Imagine that pressure stepping 00:05:45.750 --> 00:05:49.930 into a hit show in a major role in London months 00:05:49.930 --> 00:05:52.350 before your own Broadway opening. That's a trial 00:05:52.350 --> 00:05:54.449 by fire. Must have proved she could handle anything. 00:05:54.689 --> 00:05:56.850 Absolutely. So when the Broadway production finally 00:05:56.850 --> 00:05:59.629 opened in April 2012, she wasn't just prepared, 00:05:59.769 --> 00:06:02.149 she was seasoned. And the critics noticed. They 00:06:02.149 --> 00:06:04.540 did. She got rave reviews for her... Energy, 00:06:04.620 --> 00:06:06.620 her comedy. And immediate industry recognition. 00:06:06.980 --> 00:06:08.959 Right out of the gate, her first Broadway show, 00:06:09.120 --> 00:06:11.560 she gets a Tony nomination for best featured 00:06:11.560 --> 00:06:14.040 actress in a musical. Incredible. And a Drama 00:06:14.040 --> 00:06:16.019 League nomination, too. I mean, coming straight 00:06:16.019 --> 00:06:19.279 from Yale to a Tony nom, that sets a career trajectory 00:06:19.279 --> 00:06:22.399 few actors ever get to experience. So she conquers 00:06:22.399 --> 00:06:24.660 Broadway. But what's really interesting is how 00:06:24.660 --> 00:06:27.699 quickly she pivots, or rather expands, into screen 00:06:27.699 --> 00:06:30.620 work. That jump from stage, especially opera 00:06:30.620 --> 00:06:33.970 and big musicals, to the camera. It can be tricky. 00:06:34.089 --> 00:06:36.709 It often is. The scale is so different. But she 00:06:36.709 --> 00:06:39.610 managed it seamlessly, likely because that Yale 00:06:39.610 --> 00:06:42.730 training focused so much on nuanced acting, not 00:06:42.730 --> 00:06:44.810 just projection. So when did the film work start? 00:06:45.560 --> 00:06:48.120 Very quickly, 2013, just a year after the Tony 00:06:48.120 --> 00:06:50.379 nom, she's in her first feature film, Mother 00:06:50.379 --> 00:06:52.839 of George. Okay. It was an independent film premiered 00:06:52.839 --> 00:06:55.339 at Sundance. So right away, she's positioned 00:06:55.339 --> 00:06:58.600 in that serious art house cinema world. But she 00:06:58.600 --> 00:07:01.519 didn't stay just in indie drama. Nope. The very 00:07:01.519 --> 00:07:04.100 next year, 2014, she's in a mainstream Hollywood 00:07:04.100 --> 00:07:06.439 comedy, The Angriest Man in Brooklyn, playing 00:07:06.439 --> 00:07:09.180 a nurse opposite Robin Williams. Wow, from Sundance 00:07:09.180 --> 00:07:11.180 indie to a Robin Williams comedy in a year. That's 00:07:11.180 --> 00:07:13.199 a range of shit. Showing she could operate at 00:07:13.199 --> 00:07:14.959 different volumes, different styles. Right from 00:07:14.959 --> 00:07:18.160 the start. But maybe the key early screen role, 00:07:18.360 --> 00:07:20.839 especially for her comedy chops, was the sitcom 00:07:20.839 --> 00:07:24.379 Selfie in 2014. Ah, Selfie. I remember that show. 00:07:24.439 --> 00:07:27.740 Karen Gillan and John Cho. That's the one. Randolph 00:07:27.740 --> 00:07:30.199 starred as Charmonique Whitaker. It was a kind 00:07:30.199 --> 00:07:33.300 of modern take on My Fair Lady, but with social 00:07:33.300 --> 00:07:35.620 media. Right, right. It didn't last long, did 00:07:35.620 --> 00:07:38.199 it? Sadly, no. Cancelled after just one season. 00:07:38.639 --> 00:07:41.300 But it developed this really passionate cult 00:07:41.300 --> 00:07:44.379 following online. People loved it. and her character, 00:07:44.560 --> 00:07:47.730 Charmonique. She was fantastic, smart, grounded, 00:07:47.910 --> 00:07:50.889 really funny, often the voice of reason, but 00:07:50.889 --> 00:07:53.350 with great comedic timing. It definitely put 00:07:53.350 --> 00:07:55.670 her on the map for TV comedy. And it seems like 00:07:55.670 --> 00:07:57.490 that show really meant something to her personally, 00:07:57.610 --> 00:08:00.350 too. Yeah, that's a key point. Years later, like 00:08:00.350 --> 00:08:03.189 in 2022, she was still talking about how much 00:08:03.189 --> 00:08:05.769 she loves Selfie and the character, said she'd 00:08:05.769 --> 00:08:08.009 absolutely come back for a movie or a revival 00:08:08.009 --> 00:08:10.569 if they ever did one. That's telling. It shows 00:08:10.569 --> 00:08:12.490 she values the work, the character, the connection 00:08:12.490 --> 00:08:14.569 with the audience, not just the project's commercial. 00:08:14.699 --> 00:08:18.139 success. And it built her a loyal fan base early 00:08:18.139 --> 00:08:21.339 on. OK, so after Selfie and those early film 00:08:21.339 --> 00:08:24.620 roles, we enter this period, say, 2015 to 2022. 00:08:24.980 --> 00:08:27.279 And looking at her credits, it's just relentless. 00:08:27.379 --> 00:08:29.600 She worked constantly. It's an avalanche, like 00:08:29.600 --> 00:08:31.439 you said, and this is where you really see her 00:08:31.439 --> 00:08:34.299 consciously building that versatility, I think, 00:08:34.320 --> 00:08:36.940 refusing to be typecast. She's jumping between 00:08:36.940 --> 00:08:39.740 genres constantly. Yeah. Heavy drama, one minute, 00:08:39.840 --> 00:08:42.320 broad comedy, the next. Exactly. Look at her 00:08:42.320 --> 00:08:45.320 TV work in this period. On the drama side, she 00:08:45.320 --> 00:08:47.620 had a recurring role, Tanya, in the first season 00:08:47.620 --> 00:08:51.080 of This Is Us. That show was huge and known for 00:08:51.080 --> 00:08:53.940 its emotional weight. Right, 2016. Very intense 00:08:53.940 --> 00:08:55.759 role. Then she's playing Pound Cake in Empire 00:08:55.759 --> 00:08:59.980 from 2017 to 2018. Another big, dramatic, slightly 00:08:59.980 --> 00:09:02.500 heightened network show. She could handle that 00:09:02.500 --> 00:09:04.759 scale, grounded it in emotion. That's the Yale 00:09:04.759 --> 00:09:06.799 training again. But she wasn't just doing heavy 00:09:06.799 --> 00:09:09.500 drama. Not at all. Simultaneously, she starred 00:09:09.500 --> 00:09:12.019 in People of Earth for two seasons, 2016, 2017. 00:09:12.360 --> 00:09:14.480 Oh, yeah, the quirky sci -fi comedy. She played 00:09:14.480 --> 00:09:16.659 the postal worker, Yvonne. Exactly. Completely 00:09:16.659 --> 00:09:20.259 different tone, light, funny, dealing with aliens. 00:09:20.480 --> 00:09:22.740 And she had great guest spots, too. The good 00:09:22.740 --> 00:09:25.799 wife, Veep. Veep? That requires razor -sharp 00:09:25.799 --> 00:09:28.340 comedic timing. Totally. Which she clearly had. 00:09:28.580 --> 00:09:31.139 But then comes the film role that I think really 00:09:31.139 --> 00:09:34.240 shifted things into high gear for her industry 00:09:34.240 --> 00:09:36.299 standing. The one that kind of paved the way 00:09:36.299 --> 00:09:38.799 for the holdovers. You mean Dolomite is my name? 00:09:38.879 --> 00:09:42.100 That's the one. 2019. Playing Lady Reed opposite 00:09:42.100 --> 00:09:45.600 Eddie Murphy. Such a great movie. And she was 00:09:45.600 --> 00:09:47.809 phenomenal in it. Phenomenal is the right word. 00:09:47.909 --> 00:09:51.289 Lady Reed, based on a real person, needed swagger, 00:09:51.389 --> 00:09:54.570 vulnerability, incredible comedic timing, but 00:09:54.570 --> 00:09:57.169 also real traumatic depth. She wasn't just a 00:09:57.169 --> 00:09:59.669 sidekick to Murphy's dolomite. No, she was more 00:09:59.669 --> 00:10:02.330 like his anchor, his conscience sometimes. Exactly. 00:10:02.389 --> 00:10:05.509 And the film was seen as this big comeback for 00:10:05.509 --> 00:10:08.330 Eddie Murphy. But everyone, critics and audiences 00:10:08.330 --> 00:10:10.570 alike, pointed to her performance as a major 00:10:10.570 --> 00:10:13.470 highlight. She stole scenes left and right. How 00:10:13.470 --> 00:10:15.590 did the industry respond specifically to that 00:10:15.590 --> 00:10:17.649 role? It was huge. She started getting major 00:10:17.649 --> 00:10:19.789 award nominations, specifically within Black 00:10:19.789 --> 00:10:23.149 Cinema Circles, AAFCA nominations, NAACP Image 00:10:23.149 --> 00:10:25.629 Award nomination. And then she swept the Black 00:10:25.629 --> 00:10:27.649 Reel Awards. Oh, wow. What did she win there? 00:10:27.769 --> 00:10:30.649 Both Outstanding Supporting Actress and Outstanding 00:10:30.649 --> 00:10:33.309 Breakthrough Performance. That breakthrough win 00:10:33.309 --> 00:10:36.049 is significant. It's the industry saying, OK, 00:10:36.309 --> 00:10:39.070 she's arrived. She's ready for more substantial 00:10:39.070 --> 00:10:41.809 leading type roles. That makes sense. It felt 00:10:41.809 --> 00:10:43.960 like a real moment for her. Okay, let's talk 00:10:43.960 --> 00:10:45.879 about another major thread running through this 00:10:45.879 --> 00:10:47.779 period, something that connects directly back 00:10:47.779 --> 00:10:50.639 to temple and opera, voice acting. Oh, yeah. 00:10:50.700 --> 00:10:53.539 She's incredibly prolific as a voice actor, and 00:10:53.539 --> 00:10:56.120 you can absolutely hear how that classical vocal 00:10:56.120 --> 00:10:58.860 training gives her an edge. How so? What's the 00:10:58.860 --> 00:11:01.240 connection? Well, voice acting requires immense 00:11:01.240 --> 00:11:04.340 vocal agility, control, and endurance. You might 00:11:04.340 --> 00:11:06.799 be doing multiple characters, different pitches, 00:11:06.940 --> 00:11:09.019 different accents, sometimes all in one session. 00:11:09.340 --> 00:11:12.149 Right. Opera training builds that vocal stamina 00:11:12.149 --> 00:11:15.230 and flexibility. It teaches you to use your voice 00:11:15.230 --> 00:11:18.129 efficiently, powerfully, without strain. So she 00:11:18.129 --> 00:11:20.110 can embody a cartoon animal in the morning and 00:11:20.110 --> 00:11:22.529 a gritty detective in the afternoon. And the 00:11:22.529 --> 00:11:25.190 list of her voice roles is extensive. It really 00:11:25.190 --> 00:11:27.809 is. Early on, Christine and Abby Fisher in the 00:11:27.809 --> 00:11:30.009 Mr. Peabody and Sherman show on Netflix. Then 00:11:30.009 --> 00:11:33.570 bigger stuff. Ranger Wolf in Madagascar. a little 00:11:33.570 --> 00:11:36.509 wild tamarind toucan and the brilliant adult 00:11:36.509 --> 00:11:39.730 animation tuka and birdie tina and chicago party 00:11:39.730 --> 00:11:42.809 ant detective gail johnson and ultra city smiths 00:11:42.809 --> 00:11:44.929 she's everywhere in animation and major animated 00:11:44.929 --> 00:11:47.450 films too absolutely she was in trolls world 00:11:47.450 --> 00:11:50.870 tour as bliss marina and shalia b and a role 00:11:50.870 --> 00:11:53.330 i just loved mama luna and puss in boots the 00:11:53.330 --> 00:11:56.970 last wish oh mama luna the cat lady she was wonderful 00:11:56.970 --> 00:12:00.169 wasn't she so warm so eccentric a completely 00:12:00.169 --> 00:12:02.389 distinct character voice totally different from 00:12:02.389 --> 00:12:05.120 her live action work, just pure vocal performance 00:12:05.120 --> 00:12:07.600 skill. And while doing all this voice work, she's 00:12:07.600 --> 00:12:09.960 still churning out live action roles. Can't stop. 00:12:10.220 --> 00:12:12.720 She was a main cast member, Sharice, in the High 00:12:12.720 --> 00:12:15.580 Fidelity series on Hulu in 2020. Loved her in 00:12:15.580 --> 00:12:17.419 that. Then she's playing Rosalyn in the biopic, 00:12:17.700 --> 00:12:20.100 the United States versus Billie Holiday in 2021, 00:12:20.500 --> 00:12:22.919 serious dramatic territory again. And then something 00:12:22.919 --> 00:12:25.519 lighter, bigger budget. Yep, The Lost City in 00:12:25.519 --> 00:12:28.700 2022. The action comedy with Sandra Bullock and 00:12:28.700 --> 00:12:31.039 Channing Tatum. She played Beth Hatton. It showed 00:12:31.039 --> 00:12:33.559 she could hang. and a big star -driven studio 00:12:33.559 --> 00:12:36.179 comedy ensemble, she was consistently working 00:12:36.179 --> 00:12:38.759 with A -listers. And we have to mention the TV 00:12:38.759 --> 00:12:41.000 role that's probably most familiar to people 00:12:41.000 --> 00:12:43.980 right now, besides the holdovers, and earned 00:12:43.980 --> 00:12:46.100 her another major nomination. Detective Williams 00:12:46.100 --> 00:12:49.139 in Only Murders in the Building. Yes, such a 00:12:49.139 --> 00:12:51.759 great character. She's fantastic in it, playing 00:12:51.759 --> 00:12:56.320 the, uh... Very dry, very skeptical, very pregnant 00:12:56.320 --> 00:12:59.320 detective dealing with the absurdity of the main 00:12:59.320 --> 00:13:01.399 trio. She's the perfect straight woman to their 00:13:01.399 --> 00:13:03.700 antics. Totally. And it's a recurring role she's 00:13:03.700 --> 00:13:06.659 had since 2021. That performance earned her a 00:13:06.659 --> 00:13:09.320 primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest 00:13:09.320 --> 00:13:12.200 Actress in a Comedy Series just this year, 2024. 00:13:12.559 --> 00:13:15.059 So let's just recap that. Tony nominee, Black 00:13:15.059 --> 00:13:18.389 Reel Award winner, Emmy nominee. prolific voice 00:13:18.389 --> 00:13:21.309 actor the range is just incredible stage scream 00:13:21.309 --> 00:13:24.669 drama comedy voice work she'd already proven 00:13:24.669 --> 00:13:26.309 she could do pretty much everything and do it 00:13:26.309 --> 00:13:28.370 exceptionally well she was already a deeply respected 00:13:28.370 --> 00:13:30.529 actor as actor by this point yeah but even with 00:13:30.529 --> 00:13:32.769 all that success nothing could quite prepare 00:13:32.769 --> 00:13:35.129 us for what came next no the holdovers was different 00:13:35.129 --> 00:13:38.389 a whole other level it really was so 2023 she 00:13:38.389 --> 00:13:40.669 stars in alexander payne's film the holdovers 00:13:40.669 --> 00:13:44.909 playing mary lamb and mary lamb What a character. 00:13:44.950 --> 00:13:47.950 The head cook at this kind of lonely New England 00:13:47.950 --> 00:13:50.690 boarding school over Christmas break in the 70s. 00:13:50.830 --> 00:13:53.350 And she's just lost her son in the Vietnam War. 00:13:53.840 --> 00:13:57.120 The grief is palpable, but so quiet. That's the 00:13:57.120 --> 00:13:59.879 key. It's a performance built on restraint, on 00:13:59.879 --> 00:14:03.139 unspoken emotion. She's surrounded by Paul Giamatti's 00:14:03.139 --> 00:14:05.960 crusty teacher and Dominic Sessa's troubled student, 00:14:06.159 --> 00:14:08.580 these more outwardly expressive characters, but 00:14:08.580 --> 00:14:11.440 she is the absolute emotional core of the film. 00:14:11.580 --> 00:14:13.799 And this feels like the ultimate payoff for all 00:14:13.799 --> 00:14:15.379 that training we discussed, right? The opera? 00:14:15.799 --> 00:14:18.039 Yale. Absolutely. This is where it all converges. 00:14:18.320 --> 00:14:21.019 Opera teaches that breath control, that ability 00:14:21.019 --> 00:14:23.799 to convey huge emotion with subtle vocal shifts, 00:14:23.860 --> 00:14:26.460 not shouting. Yale teaches the deep character 00:14:26.460 --> 00:14:28.759 work, the understanding of subtext. So she can 00:14:28.759 --> 00:14:31.399 convey that ocean of grief without big showy 00:14:31.399 --> 00:14:34.200 scenes. Exactly. There are long stretches where 00:14:34.200 --> 00:14:36.480 Mary is just watching or cooking or just being 00:14:36.480 --> 00:14:39.100 in her grief. And Randolph communicates everything 00:14:39.100 --> 00:14:41.419 with these tiny shifts in her eyes, her posture, 00:14:41.559 --> 00:14:43.399 the timbre of her voice when she does speak. 00:14:43.440 --> 00:14:46.750 It's masterful, subtle work. And the critical 00:14:46.750 --> 00:14:49.429 reaction was immediate and overwhelming, wasn't 00:14:49.429 --> 00:14:51.210 it? Right from the Telluride premiere. It was 00:14:51.210 --> 00:14:54.570 universal praise, not just good reviews, ecstatic 00:14:54.570 --> 00:14:57.409 reviews focusing specifically on her. There's 00:14:57.409 --> 00:14:59.750 that great quote from Pete Hammond at Deadline 00:14:59.750 --> 00:15:01.409 Hollywood. Oh, which one? He wrote something 00:15:01.409 --> 00:15:04.549 like, Randolph is simply wonderful, saying more 00:15:04.549 --> 00:15:06.970 with a look than any words could ever do. She 00:15:06.970 --> 00:15:09.429 is enormously touching and earns our tears along 00:15:09.429 --> 00:15:12.629 the way. Saying more with a look. That sums it 00:15:12.629 --> 00:15:15.789 up perfectly. That deep internal work manifesting 00:15:15.789 --> 00:15:18.590 externally with such control. Precisely. And 00:15:18.590 --> 00:15:21.529 that performance led to, you called her an avalanche 00:15:21.529 --> 00:15:23.289 before? This was more like a tsunami. The awards 00:15:23.289 --> 00:15:25.950 sweep. An unprecedented sweep, really. We have 00:15:25.950 --> 00:15:28.169 to emphasize that. When we say sweep in this 00:15:28.169 --> 00:15:30.620 context. What does that actually mean for the 00:15:30.620 --> 00:15:32.620 listener? It means she won pretty much everything. 00:15:32.700 --> 00:15:35.500 Every single major award for supporting actress 00:15:35.500 --> 00:15:39.840 during the 2023 -2024 season. It signifies this 00:15:39.840 --> 00:15:43.080 rare, overwhelming consensus across the entire 00:15:43.080 --> 00:15:46.500 industry. Actors, directors, critics, everyone 00:15:46.500 --> 00:15:48.679 agreed her performance was the one. So let's 00:15:48.679 --> 00:15:50.580 tick them off, starting with the big televised 00:15:50.580 --> 00:15:53.759 ones, the big four. Okay. She won the Academy 00:15:53.759 --> 00:15:56.460 Award, the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. 00:15:56.700 --> 00:15:59.940 She won the Golden Globe. for Best Supporting 00:15:59.940 --> 00:16:03.659 Actress in a Motion Picture. She won the BAFTA, 00:16:03.779 --> 00:16:07.360 the British Academy Film Award for Best Supporting 00:16:07.360 --> 00:16:09.879 Actress. And she won the Screen Actors Guild 00:16:09.879 --> 00:16:13.080 Award, the SAG Award, for Outstanding Performance 00:16:13.080 --> 00:16:16.179 by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role. The big 00:16:16.179 --> 00:16:19.899 four. That's incredibly rare air she's breathing 00:16:19.899 --> 00:16:22.779 there. Yeah. Like Lupita Nyong 'o for 12 Years 00:16:22.779 --> 00:16:27.129 a Slave. Viola Davis for Fences kind of territory. 00:16:27.210 --> 00:16:29.870 Exactly. Historic stuff. But it wasn't just the 00:16:29.870 --> 00:16:32.309 big televised awards. The critics groups were 00:16:32.309 --> 00:16:34.590 just as unified. Right. And sometimes the critics 00:16:34.590 --> 00:16:36.909 recognize performances the bigger awards miss. 00:16:37.610 --> 00:16:40.149 But here. Here, they were completely on board. 00:16:40.309 --> 00:16:42.289 She won the Critics' Choice Movie Award. She 00:16:42.289 --> 00:16:44.009 won the Independent Spirit Award, recognizing 00:16:44.009 --> 00:16:46.370 the film's indie roots. And the major regional 00:16:46.370 --> 00:16:48.389 critics groups, the influential ones. Dominated 00:16:48.389 --> 00:16:50.250 them. National Board of Review winner. New York 00:16:50.250 --> 00:16:52.350 Film Critics Circle winner. L .A. Film Critics 00:16:52.350 --> 00:16:54.070 winner, though that was a shared award, notably. 00:16:54.269 --> 00:16:57.379 Shared. Interesting. Yeah, LA and Toronto critics 00:16:57.379 --> 00:16:59.580 gave shared awards that year, possibly reflecting 00:16:59.580 --> 00:17:01.980 the strength of the field, but also maybe how 00:17:01.980 --> 00:17:04.519 integral her performance was felt to be alongside 00:17:04.519 --> 00:17:08.079 others. She also won Boston, Chicago, Dallas, 00:17:08.200 --> 00:17:11.299 Fort Worth. Just listing them gets exhausting. 00:17:11.500 --> 00:17:13.839 It's an incredible list. It just shows the breadth 00:17:13.839 --> 00:17:16.400 and depth of the acclaim. It wasn't just one 00:17:16.400 --> 00:17:19.299 faction liking it. It was universal. Absolutely. 00:17:19.480 --> 00:17:21.079 And it wasn't just her individual performance 00:17:21.079 --> 00:17:24.119 being recognized. The Holdovers cast also won 00:17:24.119 --> 00:17:26.740 several Best Ensemble awards from critics groups 00:17:26.740 --> 00:17:29.200 like San Diego and St. Louis. Which reinforces 00:17:29.200 --> 00:17:31.160 that idea of her being the anchor, the heart 00:17:31.160 --> 00:17:33.380 of that ensemble. Exactly. Her quiet strength 00:17:33.380 --> 00:17:36.220 elevated the entire film. So yeah, that awards 00:17:36.220 --> 00:17:39.619 run. It wasn't luck. It felt like the culmination 00:17:39.619 --> 00:17:41.299 of everything she'd been working towards, the 00:17:41.299 --> 00:17:43.579 payoff for all that discipline. Absolutely earned. 00:17:43.819 --> 00:17:46.299 And even while all this Holdover's madness was 00:17:46.299 --> 00:17:48.779 happening, she wasn't resting on her laurels. 00:17:48.920 --> 00:17:52.140 2023 was a busy year beyond that film, too. Incredibly 00:17:52.140 --> 00:17:54.579 busy. She had two other really significant and 00:17:54.579 --> 00:17:57.119 very different roles out that same year. Right. 00:17:57.180 --> 00:17:59.450 What were they? First, she played the legendary 00:17:59.450 --> 00:18:03.289 gospel singer Mahalia Jackson in Rustin, the 00:18:03.289 --> 00:18:06.069 biopic about Bayard Rustin. Wow. Playing an icon 00:18:06.069 --> 00:18:07.869 like Mahalia Jackson. Oh, yeah. That requires 00:18:07.869 --> 00:18:10.109 serious presence and vocal chops, too, obviously. 00:18:10.349 --> 00:18:13.369 Definitely a weighty historical role. And then 00:18:13.369 --> 00:18:16.250 completely flipping the script. Yes. She played. 00:18:16.700 --> 00:18:19.500 Destiny, the manager of the pop star played by 00:18:19.500 --> 00:18:22.660 Lily Rose Depp in HBO's very controversial series, 00:18:22.859 --> 00:18:26.619 The Idol. Oh, right. The Idol. Talk about a contrast 00:18:26.619 --> 00:18:30.450 for Mahalia Jackson. Total 180. From respected 00:18:30.450 --> 00:18:33.430 gospel icon to a sharp, modern manager navigating 00:18:33.430 --> 00:18:35.930 the messy pop music world in a really provocative 00:18:35.930 --> 00:18:38.589 show. That pairing right there, Rustin and the 00:18:38.589 --> 00:18:40.890 Idol, in the same year as the holdovers, just 00:18:40.890 --> 00:18:43.549 perfectly encapsulates her range and her fearlessness, 00:18:43.710 --> 00:18:45.130 doesn't it? It really does. She's clearly not 00:18:45.130 --> 00:18:46.950 interested in playing it safe or sticking to 00:18:46.950 --> 00:18:49.710 one lane, even after winning the Oscar. So looking 00:18:49.710 --> 00:18:52.809 ahead now, post -Oscar win, what's next on the 00:18:52.809 --> 00:18:56.279 horizon? The momentum seems unstoppable. It certainly 00:18:56.279 --> 00:18:58.559 looks that way. Her upcoming film slate is packed, 00:18:58.680 --> 00:19:00.380 and again, it shows that commitment to variety. 00:19:00.640 --> 00:19:03.480 What do we got? Well, first up, probably in 2025, 00:19:03.740 --> 00:19:06.160 is an action comedy called Bride Hard. Action 00:19:06.160 --> 00:19:08.700 comedy. Yeah, co -starring Rebel Wilson. Divine 00:19:08.700 --> 00:19:10.859 plays a character named Lydia, so jumping right 00:19:10.859 --> 00:19:13.180 back into comedy, but with an action twist. It 00:19:13.180 --> 00:19:15.779 shows she still loves flexing those comedic muscles. 00:19:16.099 --> 00:19:18.400 Good for her. What else? There's another action 00:19:18.400 --> 00:19:21.200 -oriented film called Shadow Force. She plays 00:19:21.200 --> 00:19:25.180 a character listed as Auntie or Marvella. That 00:19:25.180 --> 00:19:28.240 sounds like maybe a larger ensemble action piece. 00:19:28.539 --> 00:19:31.140 Getting into bigger studio pictures. Seems like 00:19:31.140 --> 00:19:33.220 it. And then there's The Gallerist, which is 00:19:33.220 --> 00:19:36.839 listed as post -production, maybe for 2026. That 00:19:36.839 --> 00:19:39.480 title suggests something potentially more character 00:19:39.480 --> 00:19:41.920 -driven, maybe more artistic. Balancing the studio 00:19:41.920 --> 00:19:44.359 fare with indie spirit, perhaps? Potentially, 00:19:44.440 --> 00:19:46.549 yeah. And there's one other interesting, slightly 00:19:46.549 --> 00:19:48.970 unusual project mentioned in the sources. Oh, 00:19:48.990 --> 00:19:51.269 yeah. Apparently, she's set to appear in a music 00:19:51.269 --> 00:19:56.410 video in 2025 for the Japanese rock star Yoshiki. 00:19:56.529 --> 00:20:00.789 Yoshiki from ex -Japan. Yeah, the legendary Yoshiki. 00:20:00.890 --> 00:20:03.890 It's for a narrative version of his song Butterfly. 00:20:04.440 --> 00:20:06.559 appearing in a high profile international music 00:20:06.559 --> 00:20:09.900 video. That's a cool, unexpected move that speaks 00:20:09.900 --> 00:20:12.920 to her global recognition now. And it ties back 00:20:12.920 --> 00:20:15.259 to her musical roots in a way. That's fascinating. 00:20:15.380 --> 00:20:17.460 She's really leveraging this moment to explore 00:20:17.460 --> 00:20:20.039 different avenues. Definitely seems that way. 00:20:20.079 --> 00:20:22.559 She's refusing to be boxed in. The future looks 00:20:22.559 --> 00:20:26.019 incredibly bright and intriguingly unpredictable. 00:20:26.500 --> 00:20:28.920 So let's try and wrap this up. If we synthesize 00:20:28.920 --> 00:20:32.460 this whole incredible journey, what's the core 00:20:32.460 --> 00:20:34.920 narrative here? I think the core narrative is 00:20:34.920 --> 00:20:37.779 that Divine Joy Randolph is the absolute embodiment 00:20:37.779 --> 00:20:40.279 of talent meeting relentless preparation. This 00:20:40.279 --> 00:20:43.099 wasn't overnight success. This was decades of 00:20:43.099 --> 00:20:45.299 honing her craft, starting with that incredibly 00:20:45.299 --> 00:20:47.559 demanding classical foundation. Right. We saw 00:20:47.559 --> 00:20:50.700 the opera training, the Yale intensity leading 00:20:50.700 --> 00:20:52.579 directly to that instant Broadway validation 00:20:52.579 --> 00:20:55.119 with the Tony nomination. Then using that foundation 00:20:55.119 --> 00:20:57.259 to pivot to the screen, navigating everything 00:20:57.259 --> 00:21:00.059 from cult sitcoms like Selfie to scene stealing 00:21:00.059 --> 00:21:01.960 roles in films like Dolomite, all while becoming 00:21:01.960 --> 00:21:04.420 this go -to voice. sector, she mastered every 00:21:04.420 --> 00:21:07.420 medium. And all of that culminated in the holdovers. 00:21:07.680 --> 00:21:10.480 That performance as Mary Lamb wasn't just great 00:21:10.480 --> 00:21:12.799 acting. It was the sum of all that training, 00:21:12.940 --> 00:21:16.059 the vocal control, the emotional depth, the physical 00:21:16.059 --> 00:21:18.460 stillness. It required everything she'd learned. 00:21:18.579 --> 00:21:21.099 It really did. And the result was that historic, 00:21:21.319 --> 00:21:25.059 undeniable awards sweep. It felt... inevitable 00:21:25.059 --> 00:21:27.339 in retrospect, earned. And her career is just 00:21:27.339 --> 00:21:30.099 this incredible case study in artistic range, 00:21:30.220 --> 00:21:31.900 isn't it? I mean, think about it. She holds a 00:21:31.900 --> 00:21:34.279 Tony nomination for theater, an Emmy nomination 00:21:34.279 --> 00:21:37.359 for TV comedy, and an Oscar win for film drama. 00:21:37.619 --> 00:21:40.339 That trifecta is exceedingly rare. It proves 00:21:40.339 --> 00:21:43.140 complete mastery across platforms, from Broadway 00:21:43.140 --> 00:21:45.559 stage presence, to the intimacy of TV comedy 00:21:45.559 --> 00:21:48.539 timing, to the profound depth needed for cinematic 00:21:48.539 --> 00:21:50.640 drama. She's gone from being a brilliant supporting 00:21:50.640 --> 00:21:52.480 player, someone you were always happy to see 00:21:52.480 --> 00:21:55.660 pop up, to being... Well, an essential leading 00:21:55.660 --> 00:21:58.240 force. Absolutely. An artist who elevates everything 00:21:58.240 --> 00:22:00.920 she's in. The industry clearly recognizes that 00:22:00.920 --> 00:22:03.779 now. The world is definitely her oyster. So the 00:22:03.779 --> 00:22:05.440 question we want to leave you, the listener, 00:22:05.460 --> 00:22:08.420 with is this. We know she has these exciting 00:22:08.420 --> 00:22:10.559 projects coming up. Bride Hard, Shadow Force, 00:22:10.740 --> 00:22:12.740 The Gallerist, maybe others we don't even know 00:22:12.740 --> 00:22:15.920 about yet. Which of these, or perhaps something 00:22:15.920 --> 00:22:18.119 entirely new, do you think will be the project 00:22:18.119 --> 00:22:20.769 that truly cements her status? Not just as an 00:22:20.769 --> 00:22:23.130 Oscar -winning supporting actress, but as the 00:22:23.130 --> 00:22:26.450 undeniable leading generational star she seems 00:22:26.450 --> 00:22:28.910 poised to become. Hmm, that's a great question 00:22:28.910 --> 00:22:31.829 to ponder. What's the next definitive Divine 00:22:31.829 --> 00:22:32.990 Joy Randolph role?