As a MTV Movie & TV Awards category, Breakthrough Performance tends to recognize the folks that made TV and film scenes their own, even as they weren’t necessarily the top-billed stars. And this year, no one was more ready to be recognized than English actress Sophia Di Martino for her portrayal of Loki‘s Sylvie, an alternate version of the title character whose anger fuels her as both a hilarious and fierce warrior.
“This is actually really heavy!” she said about the Golden Popcorn as she took the podium for her acceptance speech, the latest in a long line of winners who’ve come to that realization upon being handed the coveted statue. After setting it down (wisely), she went into her own story of portraying Sylvie and the story around her casting.
“I’m so grateful for this. I love played Sylvie, and I was nine months pregnant when they offered me the job,” she said before mentioning the challenges working mothers in film and television are often saddled with. “My baby was three months old when we started filming, so it’s been quite a journey. This means a lot to me.”
To close, she shouted out Loki director Kate Herron and star Tom Hiddleston for “welcoming me so warmly” and “being so supportive all the way through.” Given her fierceness, humor, and dedication in the role, it made perfect sense that she’d be the one to walk away with the Golden Popcorn.
Di Martino beat out Alana Haim in Licorice Pizza, Ariana DeBose in West Side Story, Hacks‘s Hannah Einbinder, and Jung Ho-yeon in Squid Game in the category.
Last year, the award went to Bridgerton‘s Regé-Jean Page.
The 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards are airing live from the Barker Hangar in L.A. right now on MTV, with the Movie & TV Awards: UNSCRIPTED to follow. Find all the winners here.