NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - The Drink with Kate Snow: Da’Vine Joy Randolph

Episode Date: May 16, 2025

In this bonus episode of The Drink, Kate Snow sits down with Oscar-winning actor Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who is celebrated for her standout performance in “The Holdovers.” Randolph opens up about her unexpected path to acting — how she once aspired to be an opera singer, only to be steered in a different direction after a surprising setback. She reflects on the pivotal moments that shaped her career, from her Broadway breakthrough to the exciting new projects she’s taking on today.

Hey everyone, it's Kate Snow. For this episode of The Drink, I sat down with actor Devine Joy Randolph, who's best known for her Oscar-winning performance in The Holdovers and that Oscar speech. For this conversation, we sat down over two iced Vietnamese coffees at a restaurant called Ocean Prime in Manhattan. If you're new to The Drink, it's always about how people got to the top of their field. Devine told me all about how she got her unusual start. She actually dreamed of being an opera singer, but a surprising setback in college pushed her reluctantly at first toward acting.

We talk about the lessons that she has learned through rejection and her acting career since then, her breakout role on Broadway, how she captured the attention of top Hollywood directors, and the new projects that she's starring in now. As always, you can catch all of my conversations with top artists, entrepreneurs, and visionaries at NBCNews.com slash The Drink. I just keep thinking like if you hadn't made that pivot right then, you might be an opera singer right now.

Yeah. Yeah. My life would be completely different. Oh, here we go. Davon Joey Randolph, Oscar winning actor. Rich and dumb, popular combination around here. I wanna do a little cop monologue right now, okay? Let's all just pretend we're on Law and Order and I'm Olivia Benson. What is your drink? Vietnamese iced coffee.

Iced coffee. Chew, and I'm Olivia Benson. What is your drink? Vietnamese iced coffee. Iced coffee. Cheers. Yum. Oh, that's so good. You're going to be jolted today. If I drink this whole thing, I'm going to be on the ceiling. I'm telling you. We are in Ocean Prime, Midtown Manhattan.

I always ask people, how did you get here? What's the short answer of how you're sitting here right now? So I was always around arts and sports. I thought I was gonna be a musician and I had studied for it. I was at Temple University. I'm a classically trained opera singer, so I thought that was gonna be the lane. Right there, you're a classically trained opera singer. Yeah. It's crazy to me that-

Yeah. And here you sit now. It's wild. I was in choir and music and all that stuff. I then went to this performing arts school. That changed my life. That's when I then knew, oh okay, I really do want to be a performer. This is my thing. So then I go to Temple University for their classical voice program. And we were doing Aida in my junior year. That's an opera. An opera, yeah. When do you get introduced to opera?

They just throw you in there. Like at Temple? Yeah, just throw you in there. We're doing Aida. You're literally speaking in a different language. Yeah. And it's almost like Shakespeare, right? Like it's foreign.

And so I remember being like, I really want to know what I'm singing about. And so I worked with a teacher in the acting department. They helped me on the acting side of things. The music department wasn't really interested in that. They were just like, no, just sing out. And I was like, I'm not trying to be an actor. And so they didn't like that. And I got fucked out.

Flunked out? I know, I know. It's crazy. They gave you bad, poor grade. Yeah, because they couldn't like, right, they can't kick me out. I didn't do anything wrong. They can just fail you. And so my mom was the one that was like, okay, let's pivot.

I was calling her bawling because you have to imagine there was nothing about me that knew anything about acting, theater, I didn't even know musicals. You were a singer. It's a complete different world and it was so bizarre that my mom was so clear of like you're gonna go across the street because it's the programs are across from each other. To the acting. The other campus. You're gonna go to the communications department where the acting department is and you're going to sign up to be a theater major. She's like this is what we're

going to do. If you work really hard you'll be able to graduate on time. I just keep thinking like if you hadn't made that pivot right then, you might be an opera singer right now. Yeah, yeah. My life would be completely different. Completely different. Which I think is a good lesson of like, sometimes in rejection and in bad things, there are beautiful things in store for you. Right.

And it's very hard, but you have to be open to what is out there for you. And it's very hard, but you have to be open to what is out there for you. Because I think sometimes we don't dream big enough for ourselves. Then you get into Yale, because the dean of the theater department was like, you're a natural, there's something, you need to go and apply for graduate school.

You need more education. Yeah, which I was like, I guess. But I needed it because, to be honest, on a more emotional and psychological level, I felt broken from the rejection. It was still quite new. It had only been a year at that point. And I knew, and I had a complete life change.

So I knew I didn't feel comfortable to just go out into the world. So to be honest, I kind of hid behind education you know what I mean like it kind of worked out. It'll buy me three more years that's what I thought at that time like okay I'll do graduate school it'll buy me three more years. I started here in New York on Broadway. Ghost in the Musical. They were workshopping it in the West End. The lady who was playing my role in London got hurt. They called for me to go there. And I was like, we haven't even started rehearsals yet.

What do you mean? And I was just thrown in. Like, that's how my career started. I was just thrown in. You've done all kinds of different roles. You've been on TV. You've been in movies. What was the turning point?

Dolomite is my name. I get so nervous I had to hang on to the mic from not falling over. Butterflies all in my stomach. You're funny. I got a lot of jobs off of that. How did the holdovers happen? I got a call from the director, Alexander Payne,

which is so fascinating. You never know who's watching you and what is going to work for your blessing and for your good. He gave me the script. It was right before Thanksgiving. I read it, and he's like, did you like it? I was like, yeah, I think it's cool. Like, very chill.

Yeah. And he was like, great. I feel good about it. You feel good about it? You want to do this movie? Yeah. And I was like, all right, cool. The Oscar goes to... I feel good about it. You feel good about it? You want to do this movie? Yeah. And I was like, all right. Cool.

The Oscar goes to Devine. Your Oscar acceptance speech. Ron Van Loo, I thank you. When I was the only black girl in that class, when you saw me and you told me I was enough. It is so powerful. Thank you. So many millions and millions of people have seen and watched that speech and have been inspired.

I was reflecting on everything that we've just talked about and all of the rejection and all of the like hardships to be at that point. It was a mix of reflection, immense gratitude and completion, right? Like we did it. I pray to God that I get to do this more than once. I thank you for seeing me. Have a blessed night. Thank you so much. You have a new movie coming out. Yeah, Shadow Force. Cold shot. Show me what you got.

It's about, basically, there is this black family. Husband played by Omar Sy, wife Kerry Washington. The husband and wife were once a part of this group of assassins. They go to the bank. they're running errands. There's a bank robbery. He's an assassin. His instincts kick in. He goes to save people, but it's recorded.

And so it blows his cover. Hell yeah, now I can drink to that. Time to go. Lock, stop it. You smoking down. That sounds like a great premise. Dun dun dun! Can we do a speed round real quick and then I'll let you go?

One go-to item that's always in your bag. Lip gloss. Of course. Do you have a hidden talent? I'm a really good cook. Your favorite gala outfit? It's tied between the Met Gala and the Academy Gala. It's an all-denim dress.

I look like Esmeralda from Brave. I do, it's the reference. I'm gonna be honest, I see it. And then the other one is Academy Gala, is a beautiful pink off the shoulder Louis Vuitton dress. That was just gorgeous. What would be your best advice to young people? If it feels really hard,

and if at the same time it's all you think about and it's all you want, you're on the verge of your breakthrough. And so you've got to just hunker down and keep going. Davon Joy Randolph, it is so good to have you. Thank you. Cheers, thanks for the coffee.