Hundreds of people gathered at Santa Barbara’s Arlington Theatre on Thursday night to recognize actor Jeffrey Wright for his performance in “American Fiction,” “Basquiat” and numerous other films.

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival honored Wright with the Montecito Award, which recognizes an individual who “gave the performance of their career in a film this past year,” according to the SBIFF program guide. 

Wright was recognized for his performance in “American Fiction,” which is based on the 2001 novel “Erasure” by Percival Everett. The film follows a novelist, portrayed by Wright, who is frustrated when his satirical novel is taken seriously and is grappling with his dysfunctional family.

Wright is nominated for an Academy Award for his performance. 

“Jeffrey Wright brings an unparalleled unassuming commitment to his roles,” Roger Durling, director of SBIFF, said when introducing Wright. “He exudes such vibrancy and intellect, that even the smallest part becomes timeless.”

Durling compared Wright to character actors such as Dustin Hoffman, Gary Oldman and Willem Dafoe.

The night was a journey through Wright’s career. He told stories about how he went from pursuing law school to ending up on stage to working with directors such as Wes Anderson. Wright discussed many of his films and television shows, and the audience got to see clips from “Basquiat,” “Critical Care,” “Shaft,” “The Batman” and more.

At the start of Wright and Durling’s conversation, he explained how he first got introduced to acting. 

“Like all things, it came from my mom,” Wright said.

He described going to Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., with his mom whenever a show from New York would come to town. 

“​​I just remember being enthralled by the atmosphere of it all,” Wright said, “so much so that my 7-year-old brain when the curtain went down at the end of the show was convinced that the world of the play went on behind the curtain, and I wanted to go back there.”

Wright has portrayed a number of real-life people throughout his career, including Martin Luther King Jr. and Jean-Michel Basquiat, a New York street artist who rose to fame in the 1980s as part of the Neo-expressionism movement. Portraying the artist was Wright’s first major on-screen performance.

“I understood spaces that he inhabited,” Wright said. “I understood what he aspired to do. In some ways, I felt a close kinship to him. I also think that there is a through line from his story to the story of Monk in ‘American Fiction.'”

Wright explained that he lived in the same part of New York as Basquiat and often draws inspiration from the same sources.

He told the Arlington audience that a few years after the film “Basquiat” was released, Wright ran into an old roommate who told him that years before the film was made, Wright was living in a fourth-floor apartment and Basquiat often visited someone on the first floor of the same building.

“We never met,” Wright said. “We just overlapped. He passed away later that summer — the first summer when I moved to New York in 1988.”

Wright said he feels an additional responsibility when playing a character based on someone’s life. 

“I tend to take that reasonably seriously,” Wright said. “I try my best to at least find the essence of who they were, and to research as much as I possibly can.”

Wright is no stranger to popular fictional characters and franchises. From “The Hunger Games” franchise, James Bond films and 2022’s “The Batman,” Wright has played iconic fictional characters.

One he said he was particularly excited about portraying was CIA agent Felix Leiter in three James Bond films, starring opposite Daniel Craig. Wright was excited to take on  the character who was previously portrayed by Jack Lord in “Dr. No” in 1962.

“Jack Lord was one of the coolest guys who ever walked the planet,” Wright said. “He was like approaching Miles Davis levels of cool for me. I was this massive James Bond fan.”

Wright also portrayed well-known fictional detective James Gordan in “The Batman” starring opposite Robert Pattinson. Wright said he was drawn to the script because of how grounded it felt.

“I really didn’t expect it to be a part of a Batman film or the franchise,” Wright said. “I was a massive Batman fan growing up. It was a joy to do this, but it was also tricky, because we were working in the midst of the pandemic.” 

Wright said he is looking forward to getting back into Gotham for the film’s sequel, which is set to release next year.

Wright’s recent film, “American Fiction,” has received five Oscar nominations, including Best Actor and Best Picture. Wright said that for him, the family in the story is the heart of the film and is what drew him to the story. 

“​​It’s the family that puts the fun in dysfunction,” Wright said. “It’s a family that’s recognizable, because it’s a family as crazy as everybody else’s family is crazy.”

John Ortiz, Wright’s co-star in the film, showed up to present Wright with the Montecito Award. 

Ortiz said he had been a fan of Wright’s work for many years and had wanted to work with him ever since he saw “Angels in America” on stage.

“When it finally happens, when I finally get the call 20 or 30 years later, the expectations were so high that in all likelihood, things just might fall short,” Ortiz said about his excitement toward working with Wright. “Well, I’m happy to report it didn’t fall short; it exceeded the mark.”

Ortiz said that while he and Wright were the same age and both men of color, he never felt any competition, just respect and admiration.

“It turned out for me anyway, not to be two actors in a ring exchanging blows,” Ortiz said. “We were more like two kids from the neighborhood, playing in the sandbox.”

The night ended with Wright accepting his award, thanking Ortiz and the audience. 

“​​We tell these stories, we make these movies so that people will see them and maybe find something inside of them that moves them,” Wright said. “When I say I’m grateful that you are here, you’ve just seen a full range of my work and you’re still here, so thank you.”