Jharrel Jerome’s win at the 2019 Emmy Awards yesterday for outstanding lead actor in a limited series or drama, came unsurprisingly with a standing ovation and thousands of social media mentions.
The 22 year old American Dominican actor who is best known for his roles as young Kevin in Barry Jenkins’ drama film ‘Moonlight’ (2016) and as Korey Wise in Ava DuVernay’s Netflix miniseries ‘When They See Us’ (2019) amidst a rousing ovation gave a speech that included his wanting to just be home, his mother’s cooking (she was at the awards too) and a tribute to the series director, Ava DuVernay, Netflix and the men who have come to be known as ‘The Exonerated Five.’
Jharrel’s depiction of Korey Wise, one of the five wrongly incarcerated young men, in the heart-wrenching series was nothing short of stellar with Jharrel both playing Korey as a teenager and as an adult years later.
Some of the tweets that followed the win gives an indication of what people thought of Jharrel’s outstanding performance.
ABOUT THE MOVIE
In 1989 a jogger was assaulted and raped in New York’s Central Park, and five young people were subsequently charged with the crime. The quintet, labeled the Central Park Five, maintained its innocence and spent years fighting the convictions, hoping to be exonerated. This limited series spans a quarter of a century, from when the teens are first questioned about the incident in the spring of 1989, going through their exoneration in 2002 and ultimately the settlement reached with the city of New York in 2014.
Oscar nominee and Emmy winner Ava DuVernay co-wrote and directed the four episodes.
Source: Wikipedia, Twitter, Emmy Awards, Netflix
