There are few “sure things” when it comes to the Oscars, but when it comes to this year’s Best Supporting Actor category there’s little doubt that J.K. Simmons is going to end up holding the gold statue. He’s won just about every conceivable honor for his role in Whiplash during awards season, and there doesn’t seem to be a single person who has seen the film who doesn’t think Simmons’ role as an intensely passionate music professor is a remarkable achievement.
A week before Oscar nominations were announced, Simmons participated in a Q&A session presented by the Screen Actors Guild Foundation, Backstage, and The New School for Drama which was nominated by Mark Peikert of Backstage. Simmons talks about his career in detail, including how taken he was with the Whiplash screenplay by writer/director Damien Chazelle and how much he believed in the project. You can view the whole interview in the clip above.
