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Danielle Brooks was half-asleep when she learned of her Oscar nomination: 'I did it for real?'

Brooks earned a nod for her work as Sofia in "The Color Purple."

Published on January 25, 2024 03:55PM EST

Who doesn’t love waking up to good news?

Danielle Brooks was one of many Hollywood stars who woke to incredible news on Tuesday morning… Except in her case, it was still the middle of the night.

The actress was asleep in New Zealand when the Oscar nominations went public, meaning her phone was abruptly flooded with warm congratulations from friends and family. Luckily, her husband Dennis Gelin was able to get through first and deliver the news that she has earned her first ever Academy Award nomination for her work as Sofia in The Color Purple.

There’s no need to imagine what that emotional conversation sounded like, because Brooks shared a video of the moment on Instagram.

"I am still processing the fact that I became an Academy Award Nominee yesterday for a role that means everything to me," she wrote in the caption. "The Color Purple has changed my life in ways I don’t think I’ll ever be able to express but MY GOD!! Look What God Has Done!"

THE COLOR PURPLE — Danielle Brooks in 'The Color Purple'.
Everett Collection

In the clip, a drowsy Brooks says “I’m up” as she answers the phone at 2:30 am. Then, an excited voice delivers the news with just three words: “You did it.”

“I did it for real?” Brooks asks, becoming emotional. Both her husband and their four-year-old daughter confirm her achievement as the actress laughs. A cut to later in the day sees Brooks wiping away tears as more calls come in.

“I’m also a little sleepy so I really don’t know what’s going on,” she laughs through tears during one video call.

Brooks earned the sole nomination for The Color Purple and also became the first performer since Viola Davis to snag dual Tony and Oscar nominations for the same role. She previously earned a Tony nod for her work as Sofia in the 2016 Broadway revival.

This, her first Oscar nomination, also makes her the second woman recognized by the Academy for playing Sofia, following Oprah Winfrey's 1986 Oscar nom for her work in the non-musical film adaptation. Winfrey, who produced both the Broadway musical and the new film, was among those to congratulate Brooks in her video. A clip of their call sees the actress wiping tears as she tells the producer that the nomination news has only just set in.

“I was all discombobulated ‘cause I was asleep,” she explains to Winfrey. “And it didn’t click until two minutes ago. It just wasn't making sense.”

Brooks has since told The Hollywood Reporter that she is “humbled” to be the sole nominee for the musical film but knows that she doesn’t “stand alone.”

“It’s crazy to think about, in 1985, they had 11 nominations, and Steven Spielberg wasn’t even included as director at that time, and there were no wins, and that’s one of the most iconic movies of the cinematic canon, of American cinema,” the actress said. “To now have this beautiful piece of art that we’ve created with this Blitz Bazawule version and only have one nomination, I’m very humbled by it, but I don’t stand alone."

She concluded, “I did not get here on my own. I can’t act by myself. I’m surely not holding boom mics and picking out costumes and doing choreography on my own. I just feel like I’m doing this for everybody. I’m hoping that we can garner a win for the efforts of everybody that was a part of this beautiful production.”

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Danielle Brooks was half-asleep when she learned of her Oscar nomination: 'I did it for real?'

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