Sam Rockwell won the Academy Award for best supporting actor on Sunday night.

The Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri star won out over Willem Dafoe (The Florida Project), Woody Harrelson (also Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), Richard Jenkins (The Shape of Water) and Christopher Plummer (All the Money in the World). 

Upon accepting his award, Rockwell praised his cast and crew and jokingly thanked “anyone who’s ever looked at a billboard.” The actor also thanked his parents for his love of cinema. “My mom and dad’s love of movies became my love of movies, so, thank you for that, mom and dad, I love you,” he said.

Rockwell also once again called out his co-star, Frances McDormand, who was crying as he accepted his Oscar. “Thank you to the formidable Frances McDormand. We’re at the convention, Frances!” he said.

Rockwell concluded his remarks by dedicating his win to the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, whom he called “my old buddy.” Hoffman died in 2014.

This is the first Oscar for the actor. Rockwell previously notched wins this season for his role of Officer Dixon in the revenge drama at the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice, Screen Actors Guild and BAFTA Awards.

Backstage, the actor talked to the press about the criticism that the film has faced, chiefly that it seems to absolve his character of his racist deeds. Calling it “a big social issue,” he mentioned a recent THR column by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, which mirrored his thoughts. “[He] wrote an article that was really amazing that I thought was very eloquent. That was a great article that articulated everything. Mildred and Dixon have a lot of work [to do]. Also, it is a movie. It is a dark fairy tale of some sorts, in real life they would have probably both gone to prison,” he said.

The Academy Awards were handed out at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center. Jimmy Kimmel returned as host.