Emotional Speeches: What celebrities said at the 2017 SAG Awards
KERRY WASHINGTON
“A lot of people are saying right now that actors shouldn’t express their opinions when it comes to politics. But the truth is, actors are activists, no matter what. We embody the worth and humanity of all people. This union really helps me to do that. I’m Kerry Washington and I am an actor.”
WILLIAM H. MACY
“I would like to go against the grain this evening and thank President Trump for making Frank Gallagher seem so normal.” — William H. Macy
JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS
“I want you all to know that I am the daughter of an immigrant. My father fled religious persecution in Nazi-occupied France and I’m an American patriot and I love this country. And because I love this country I am horrified by its blemishes. This immigrant ban is a blemish and it is un-American, so I say to you this: ‘Our sister guild the WGA made a statement today that I would like to read because I am in complete agreeance with it. ‘Our guilds are unions of storytellers, who have always welcomed those from nations and from various beliefs who wish to share their creativity with America, we are grateful for them. We stand with them. And we will fight for them.'” — Julia Louis-Dreyfus
ASHTON KUTCHER
“I am a citizen of the world. I’m a professional liar. I play pretend for fun. I’m afforded the opportunity to show the ugliest, most fearful, most vulnerable parts of myself because privately, someone loves me for those flaws.” He then thanked “everyone in airports that belong in my America,” in reference to President Donald Trump’s controversial executive order and immigration ban. “You are part of the fabric of who we are, and we welcome you and we love you.” — Ashton Kutcher
THE CAST OF ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK
“We’d like to say that we stand up here representing a diverse group of people, representing generations of family who have sought a better life here, from places like Nigeria, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Ireland,” OITNB actress Taylor Schilling said while accepting the cast’s SAG Award. “We know that it’s going to be up to us — and all of you, probably, too — to keep telling stories that show what unites us is stronger than the forces that seek to divide us.”
MAHERSHALA ALI
“I think what I’ve learned from working on Moonlight is we see what happens when you persecute people. They fold into themselves … You know, when we kind of get caught up in the minutia, the details that make us different, I think there’s two ways of seeing that, there’s an opportunity to see the texture of that person, the characteristics that make them unique. And then there’s an opportunity to go to war about it, and to say that that person is different from me, and I don’t like you, so let’s battle. My mother is an ordained minister, I’m a Muslim. She didn’t do backflips when I called her to tell her I converted 17 years ago. But I tell you now, you put things to the side. And I’m able to see her, and she’s able to see me. We love each other and the love has grown. And that stuff is minutiae. It’s not that important.”
SARAH PAULSON
BRYAN CRANSTON
“I honestly feel that 36 would put his arm around 45 and earnestly wish him success,” Cranston said of what Lyndon B. Johnson — whom he won a SAG Award for portraying — would tell Donald Trump. “Just don’t piss in the soup we all gotta eat.”
LILY TOMLIN
“Live your life so when you’re being honored for your achievement you can feel reasonably honest about their comments, otherwise, in these times, all their words, a phrase, might be perceived as alternative facts or worse yet, fake news … What sign should I make for the next march? Global warming, Standing Rock, Chinese missiles … We can all go out and really change things.”
DAVID HARBOUR AND THE CAST OF STRANGER THINGS
“Great acting can change the world. [This is a] call to arms from our fellow craftsmen and women to go deeper and through our heart battle against fear, self-centerdness, the exclusivity of our predominantly narcissistic culture and through our craft cultivate an empathetic and more understanding society by revealing intimate truths that serve as a forceful reminder to folks that when they feel broken and afraid and tired they are not alone.
“We are united in that we are all human beings and we are all together on this horrible, painful, joyous, exciting and mysterious ride that is being alive.
“As we act in the continuing narrative of Stranger Things, we 1983 Midwesterners will repel bullies, we will shelter freaks and outcasts, those who have no hope. We will get past the lies. We will hunt monsters and when we are lost amidst the hypocrisy and the casual violence of certain individuals and institutions, we will, as per Chief Jim Hopper, punch some people in the face … With soul, with heart, with joy, we thank you for this responsibility.”
Truly emotional speeches.