Devin Glenn - Supplemental Post #3

        Last Saturday, I attended the 55th Annual NAACP Image Awards and had an incredible experience there mingling with some of today's brightest stars! As is the case will all the events I participate in as a seat filler, there was a lot of waiting time, but it was absolutely worth it when my friend Isabel and I found ourselves on the second row of the section reserved for the night’s nominees. We were warned beforehand not to pull our phones out, so I had to be strategic with when and how I snuck the few pictures I did manage to get, but it also kills me because I was only a few seats away from Octavia Spencer at one point, and although we had a delightful (albeit brief) conversation, I wasn’t able to get a photo with her. It was amazing, though! Our dialogue went a little something like this:

Octavia (to me): Hello sweetie!

Me: Hi Octavia! You’re one of my favorite actors of all time. Is it alright if I give you this bracelet I made you?

Octavia: Oh my word! How did you know you’d find me?

Me: I just hoped I would!

Octavia: Thank you so much! It’s so cute! What’s your name?

Me: I’m Devin.

Octavia: Hi Devin! I’m Octavia.

        Relatively soon afterwards, I was moved a few rows behind Octavia and then she ended up leaving the awards ceremony early, so I wasn’t able to talk with her more afterwards, but wow! I just love her so much. In addition to Octavia, I was sat relatively close to the cast of Abott Elementary, Keke Palmer, Usher, Taraji P. Henson, Sterling K. Brown, and Jeffrey Wright! Witnessing that much talent in one compact area was an almost visceral experience. It was a lot of fun to see the stars talking to each other informally as friends. Additionally, Queen Latifah acted as the host for the night and Oprah made a surprise appearance during the final award which blew everyone away. During these kinds of experiences, it’s always so interesting to me to feel the affective response from the crowd as a collective, communal on-screen body. The audience that evening was super responsive to everything happening on stage, and that level of interaction made the entire event very fun to be a part of. Below, I’ve included some photos from the night with a key explaining who is in each one.

Me and my friend Isabel in awe


 













 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pictured

1. Me and my friend Isabel in awe

2. India Ria Amarteifio (Queen Charlotte)

3. Taraji P. Henson (The Color Purple) 

4. Queen Latifah 

5. Amanda Gorman (Poet Laureate)

6. Oprah Winfrey

7. Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary)

8. Usher

9. Jeffrey Wright and Erika Alexander (American Fiction)

10. Fantasia (The Color Purple)

 -------------------------------------------------

Additionally, I got to see the advanced screening of Immaculate that happened on campus this past Monday, and as a special surprise, Sydney Sweeney materialized afterwards to participate in a Q&A with director Michael Mohan. She was so articulate about her experience as both the lead and the primary producer on the project, and unexpectedly being able to interact with her in a small group setting felt like such a unique experience! This is one of the reasons why I love living in LA! There is always something going on.





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