TORONTO — As a kid growing up in Vancouver, Adrian Holmes would watch the NAACP Image Awards — which celebrate artists and entertainers of colour — and dream of moving to the U.S.
“Those were the shows that showed people who look like me being celebrated, so I thought I had to go down there to make it and to be seen,” the Wales-born, Canada-raised actor says on a video call from Los Angeles.
The “Bel-Air” star, who will host The Black Academy’s third annual Legacy Awards on Sunday, says finally having a platform that celebrates Black Canadians' accomplishments in film, television, music, sports and culture feels like a “huge breakthrough.”
“Now little Black boys and girls can watch our show in our country and have hope. It gives us hope that we can do it here and we can be celebrated here. We don't have to leave,” Holmes says.
“So, by God's grace, the Legacy Awards will be around for a very long time."
Sunday’s bash concludes a three-year deal The Black Academy signed with the CBC to air the awards telecast. A CBC spokesperson told The Canadian Press the public broadcaster is in discussions with the academy about a "potential renewal" of the partnership.
Toronto-born actors and brothers Shamier Anderson and Stephan James founded the event in 2021 to shine a spotlight on exceptional Black Canadians. Past award recipients include actor-activist Tonya Williams, sports anchor Kayla Grey and director Julien Christian Lutz, known professionally as Director X.
Among this year's honourees is Toronto International Film Festival CEO Cameron Bailey, who will be presented with the Visionary Award. He’ll join Juno Award winner Kardinal Offishall, who will receive the Icon Award, and Soulpepper Theatre artistic director Weyni Mengesha, who will be honoured with the Trailblazer Award.
The show will feature performances by Toronto rappers SadBoi and Smiley, Jamaican-Canadian poet d’bi.young, Alberta soprano Neema Bickersteth and Huntsville, Ont., singer-songwriter Morgan-Paige Melbourne.
Holmes says he's particularly excited to see Offishall receiving the recognition he deserves. He vividly remembers when “Northern Touch,” Offishall's iconic 1998 track with Rascalz, started getting heavy rotation on MuchMusic. At the time, Holmes ran in the same circles as Rascalz, and seeing one of their songs achieve mainstream success felt personal.
“The song made me realize anything is possible. It put Canadian hip-hop on the map,” he says.
Holmes says when he was a kid, there was a lack of Black actors from Canada that he could look up to. He says Michael J. Fox was his hero because he was from nearby Burnaby, B.C.
“I was just like, ‘He's from my neck of the woods.’ I didn't even think about, ‘He's white and I'm Black.’ I just looked at it like, ‘He's from here. I'm from here. He made it out. I'm going to make it out,’” he says.
“It wasn’t until I got a little older that I realized, ‘OK, he may have had it a little easier. There's more opportunities for him because of the colour of his skin.’”
When Holmes began acting, the roles he was offered would often be limited to insultingly stereotypical ones.
“I would get 'gangbanger No.1' or 'gangbanger No. 2.' I wasn't getting the doctors and the lawyers or cool, respected characters.”
But Holmes remained determined. One of his breakthrough roles was as strong-willed cop Nick Barron on CTV drama “19-2,” for which he won the Canadian Screen Award for best actor in a continuing lead dramatic role in 2017.
Holmes' most recent turn is as Uncle Phil in “Bel-Air,” Peacock’s gritty, modern-day reboot of the classic ’90s sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” which starred Will Smith. The series just wrapped its third season.
Holmes says he’s proud of the way “Bel-Air” delves deeper into the serious issues that the original sitcom touched on, from racial profiling to masculinity.
“‘Bel-Air' definitely touches on the same themes as the Legacy Awards, you know? It's about leadership, unity, and community. This is like a nice continuation of that. It couldn't be more perfect,” he says.
And much like the Legacy Awards, there is no word yet on whether “Bel-Air” will be renewed for another season. But Holmes remains hopeful.
“I would be very surprised if that didn't happen, but crazier things have happened,” he says.
“We're all sitting and anxiously and patiently waiting for that announcement to be made.”
The Legacy Awards will broadcast live on CBC and CBC Gem on Sunday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 27, 2024.
Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press