"One feels beautiful and one is so dark and heavy": Wunmi Mosaku hasn't been able to enjoy Oscar nod because of Renée Good and Alex Pretti's deaths

Sinners star Wunmi Mosaku says she has struggled to enjoy her recent Oscar nomination as the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by the ICE agents in Minnesota cast a shadow over Hollywood's awards season.

In a recent conversation with The Sunday Times, Wunmi Mosaku, 39, shared that raising a toast for her Academy Award nod doesn't seem fitting amidst these bleak times.

"I've not been able to celebrate because of what's going on right now, with the killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minnesota and the kidnapping of a five-year-old boy."

Wunmi Mosaku, who is nominated for Best Supporting Actress for the Oscars 2026 for her performance in Sinners, described the incidents as both "dark and heavy," adding:

"It's difficult to hold both the nomination and the news because one feels beautiful and one is so dark and heavy; truly dystopian — how can I possibly go out and buy some drinks and enjoy the moment?"

The 2026 Oscars will broadcast on March 15, live from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.

Wunmi Mosaku vies for the Best Supporting Actress title against Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another), Elle Fanning (Sentimental Value), Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas (Sentimental Value), and Amy Madigan (Weapons).

Wunmi Mosaku says she was "floored for a week" by ICE‑related deaths

Wunmi Mosaku continued, sharing how it baffles her that many remain unfazed following the incidents.

"[My husband] is not as shocked as I am at the news. There's a very strange American psyche where terrible things happen and people still can go to work the next day, whereas I'm floored for a week and think, 'How are people going to crowded places when this has just happened?' I want a cocoon. My reaction reminds him that this is not normal."

Renee Good was a 37-year-old American poet and a mother of three. She became the center of national controversy after ICE agents fatally shot her in Minneapolis on Jan. 7.

Meanwhile, 37-year-old Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center, was fatally shot by federal agents on Jan. 24 during a protest in Minneapolis.

Further, in a report by CNN, a 5-year-old preschooler named Liam Conejo Ramos was taken away by ICE agents allegedly due to his father being an "illegal alien." This was countered by Marc Prokosch, the family's lawyer, saying:

"These are not illegal aliens. They were following all the established protocols, pursuing their claim for asylum, showing up for their court hearings, and posed no safety, no flight risk, and never should have been detained."

Celebrities who have spoken out against ICE

Wunmi Mosaku wasn't the only celebrity who has spoken out against ICE.

Following the incidents, a plethora of stars have voiced their opinions against the agents and President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.

In January, actress-comedienne Whoopi Goldberg got evidently upset, holding back her tears, as she called out ICE during an episode of The View.

"They murdered a man. He is standing, he has his phone and he has a bottle of water. And they shot him ten times. What the—. I don't know what you're investigating, if you're not investigating the straight up murder — the straight up murder. This is the second one, the second murder of an American citizen."

Jamie Lee Curtis, in her chat with Variety, blasted the federal agents and said that their actions in Minnesota and out were "abhorrent."

"Every day I think I'm not going to be shocked anymore and then I'm shocked. It's just inhuman. It is inhuman the way this administration is treating its citizens and its constituents and people in need. It's an abhorrence what they’re doing. The ICE situation is out of control. It's simply a distraction so that we don't pay attention to the Epstein files."

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At the recent 68th Grammy Awards, several artists also made their statement against the ongoing immigration crackdown.

Bad Bunny and Billie Eilish both announced "ICE OUT" in their respective speeches, while Justin and Hailey Bieber, Kehlani, Justin Vernon, and more wore "ICE OUT" pins.

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