How Jeffrey Wright Returned to Regular Dad Duties After Receiving American Fiction Oscar Nomination (Exclusive)

For Jeffrey Wright, learning he was nominated for an Oscar, was a special day for many reasons.

The American Fiction actor, 58, was at home in Brooklyn when he got the good news.

 "I was in my office with my phone on a coffee table and I was keeping an eye on it, and it started to light up. Seemed like news was pretty good," says Wright. "There was reams of texts and phone calls and well wishing, and it was pretty moving."

Wright, who recently posed for PEOPLE's annual Oscar Portfolio, said later that day was also special because he got to spend the day with his daughter driving her back to college.

"It was her last day of Christmas vacation. So I said, 'Yeah, let's hop in the truck and drive up to New England.' That was maybe the best way to celebrate," he says.

In American Fiction, Wright plays Monk, a Black author frustrated that his books don’t sell well while books filled with racial stereotypes do. He decides to write a novel under a pen name that parodies the books he sees garnering attention and when it becomes a huge success, finds himself caught up in a web of lies that may have dire consequences.

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On Feb. 25, Wright won an Independent Spirit Award and brought his son Elijah with him to the ceremony. “My son is here, Elijah, I love you,” he said, as the camera cut to his son, who had been sitting beside him all evening. "You and your sister and my family are the sun around which I orbit. I am nowhere without you,” he added

The 96th Academy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will air live on Sunday, March 10, from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California, beginning at 7 p.m. ET.