Dev Patel Reacts to His Oscar Nomination With a Moving Statement About Acceptance

The 2017 Oscar nominations were announced on Tuesday morning, and among them is the deserving Dev Patel. The star is up for his first Oscar for best supporting actor for his role in Lion, and his reaction to the exciting news is just as sweet as you'd expect. "OK, so I just received a call to say that I've been nominated for an Academy Award," he said in a statement. "To be totally honest, the news hasn't made its way into my brain yet, but I'm looking at these beautiful smiling faces around me . . . Faces of the ones I love. And I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude. What makes this moment so much more poignant is that I'm in India right now. This enthralling country holds such a deep place in my heart, and it is where Saroo's journey was born." The film is based on the life of Saroo Brierly (played by Sunny Pawar and Dev), who was separated from his family in India as a child and subsequently adopted by an Australian couple and relocated to Hobart, Tasmania.

"This film would be nothing without Garth Davis," Dev continued. "Without his love, commitment and vision this Lion wouldn't have been able to roar. To that extent I want to share this incredible feeling with Luke, Grieg, Jenny Kent, Iain, Angie, Emile, Sunny, Nicole, David, Rooney, Divian, Priyanka, the Brierley family as well as the Weinstein Co team. Lion reaffirms the message that love is not dictated by the color of your skin, not by race, gender, sexuality, social status, or origin. It is a message I am proud to be spreading during these uncertain times. This will forever be one of the most memorable experiences of my life."