The Oscars are this weekend and in an exclusive clip provided to Shadow and Act, Judas and the Black Messiah star and Oscar nominee Lakeith Stanfield talked to the Academy about his directing ambitions and playing William O’Neal in the Oscar-nominated pic.

On directing and telling stories, Stanfield said, “I don’t watch as much anymore because it just isn’t as fun to sit through a movie and think about, you know, decisions and choices I would have made as a director [laughs]. So I can’t wait to be in that capacity and do more of that. I’m doing a little bit of it on my personal projects, but I love to do like a movie or a TV show.

“I’m also Black and American. And so I have a very vested interest in helping tell those stories,” he continued. “And if I can share a little bit more accurate light on our history because it’s been so abused and misused and misrepresented. It’s time to help set the record straight. And I know we ain’t really saving the whole world, but every little story helps.”

He also gave more insight into playing O’Neal in the project. “You have to be the person that when you’re looking at all [of these] crazy things [during] production that shows the birth of the Black Panther Party all the way until it gets destroyed by the government. And you just have all this information and scope…and now you’re the rat [laughs]. It’s not the best feeling in the world.”

Watch the full clip below:

The Oscars air Sunday, April 25 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT live on ABC