Leslie Odom Jr. explains how his wife Nicolette Robinson saved One Night in Miami

Not only did Leslie Odom Jr. get to act opposite his wife Nicolette Robinson in Amazon Studios' One Night in Miami, her casting may have saved the movie.

"We were in a bind," the actor who plays Sam Cooke in the film explains during PEOPLE, EW, and TNT's 2021 SAG Awards pre-show. "An actress was cast pre-COVID, and we were supposed to shoot these scenes between Sam and Barbara [Cooke] in L.A. after we wrapped in Louisiana at the beginning of March last year. And you guys know, everything shut down, and so the film, we didn't get to get these scenes until June."

"We were still not out of the woods with COVID yet," the actor continues. "They were looking for a fabulous actress, I told [director] Regina King, 'Well, you know, I just happen to live with one of the greatest actresses you will find,' and so it worked out." Odom jokes that he even added, "We've been quarantining together, if you want to throw in a kiss, we're good."

And it all paid off. The couple — who just welcomed a second child — is nominated together for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, along with the rest of the One Night in Miami cast, at tonight's SAG Awards. Odom is also nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role for playing Cooke.

The SAG Awards air tonight at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT on TNT and TBS.

Watch the full pre-show interview with Leslie Odom Jr. above.

Check out more from EW's The Awardist, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis, and our podcast diving into all the highlights from the year's best films.

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• Screen Actors Guild Awards 2021: See the full list of winners
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• Leslie Odom Jr. still can't find the footage of Sam Cooke debuting 'A Change Is Gonna Come'