Regina King opens the Oscars by saying she would have 'traded in my heels for marching boots' if Derek Chauvin's verdict was different

• King kicked off the Oscars by giving a nod to the guilty verdict in Derek Chauvin's case.
• "If things had gone differently this past week...I may have traded in my heels for marching boots."
• Chauvin was found guilty on all charges in the death of George Floyd.

Right from the start, the 93rd Academy Awards proved it was very different from any other Oscars before it.

Oscar winner Regina King kicked off the show by snatching an Oscar trophy and strutting to the main stage at Los Angeles' Union Station as credits rolled, revealing the presenters of the evening as if they were a rundown of a movie's cast.

King kept her remarks brief before presenting the best original screenplay Oscar, but did deliver a touching nod to the guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin case last week in which the former Minneapolis police officer was found guilty in the murder of George Floyd.

"We are mourning the loss of so many," King began. "And I have to be honest, if things had gone differently this past week in Minneapolis, I may have traded in my heels for marching boots."

This resulted in applause from the intimate group at the Union Station venue, many of which are the evening's nominees.

"Now, I know that a lot of you at home want to reach for your remote when you feel like Hollywood is preaching to you," King continued, "but as a mother of a Black son I know the fear that so many live with and no amount of fame or fortune changes that."

Last Tuesday, Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and manslaughter in the death of Floyd, who died on May 25, 2020 after the former police officer knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes during an arrest.

King then went on with naming the winner of best original screenplay. Emerald Fennell for "Promising Young Woman" earned the award.

Her directing effort, "One Night In Miami," is nominated for three Oscars, including best supporting actor for Leslie Odom Jr.