According to The Hollywood Reporter, Abbott Elementary star Quinta Brunson (A Black Lady Sketch Show, Magical Girl Friendship Squad) has won the Best Lead Performance for best scripted series at the 2023 Film Independent Spirit Awards. Brunson was nominated along with Aml Ameen for The Porter, Mohammed Amer for Mo, Bridget Everett for Somebody Somewhere, KaMillion for Rap Sh!t, Melanie Lynskey for Yellowjackets, Himesh Patel for Station Eleven, Sue Ann Pien for As We See It, Adam Scott for Severance, and Ben Whishaw for This Is Going to Hurt.
Brunson’s acceptance speech caused a few laughs: “I feel like the least independent person here because of having wonderful supporters like Warner Bros., who’s in the room tonight, and ABC and Disney — the big bad one.” She also thanked the Abbott cast and crew, “because of the spirit of my show and all that goes into it. We have a bunch of people … who come from making things out of nothing. And my show, Abbott Elementary, is made by people who make something out of nothing every day. We just got very fortunate to be supported by the studios and networks that we’re supported by, but we have that spirit.”
Additionally, Brunson explained how she got started in the industry and praised the kids on TikTok for trying to follow their dreams, too: “I’m very used to making Instagram videos with nothing with my phone. I do want to dedicate this award to whatever kid out there right now is making a video on TikTok and the rest of the kids are telling them that you’re probably never gonna win an award anywhere. If you care about it enough and you respect the craft and the craft is important to you and you believe in it and you study it, that little TikTok video. … I hope that you know that with enough care for your craft, you can make it to win an award. So thank you guys so much.”
Brunson said of the category itself: “What a wonderful category to be in. I mean, just actors and actresses that are incredible. I kind of like the gender-neutral thing. It’s like, it’s kind of tight. It’s like, hell yeah … in there with your peers.”
This is the 38th annual Spirit Awards, with one twist — this year marks the first time Film Independent is using “gender-neutral categories, replacing best actor/actress and supporting actor/actress with the best performance award.” The decision comes after other award shows such as Grammys and British Independent Film Awards changed their policies as well.
The President of Film Independent, Josh Welsh, said in a statement about the news last August: “We’re thrilled to join the other festivals and award shows that are already moving to celebrate great acting without reference to gender. We’re also happy to welcome non-binary performers into the Spirit Awards without forcing them to choose to identify as male or female.”
Abbott Elementary, which has already won three Emmy awards, recently wrapped up its second season. The sitcom has been renewed for a third season and stars Chris Perfetti (Crossbones, In The Dark), Tyler James Williams (Dear White People, Everybody Hates Chris), Janelle James (Black Monday, Central Park), Lisa Ann Walter (The Parent Trap, Bruce Almighty), William Stanford Davis (Snowpiercer, Ray Donovan), and Sheryl Lee Ralph (Moesha, Motherland: Fort Salem).
The Twitter handle for the comedy has posted a tweet celebrating Brunson’s win, featured below.