Sophia Michaels
Tom Hanks shared some acting lessons and praised some of his generation’s finest thespians in a charming, occasionally emotional speech at the 2020 Golden Globes. The actor, accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award, arrived onstage after a poignant intro from Charlize Theron.
Following a series of lighthearted jokes (“Can I just see a show of hands? How many people in this room have a clip package that includes The Love Boat?”), Hanks teared up as he glanced out at his family in the audience. But his speech settled into an acting theme as he surveyed his career.
“You’re a dope if you don’t steal from everybody you’ve ever worked with,” he said. “And I have stolen from the likes of people who only need one name. Like Meryl, like Denzel, like Antonio, like Meg, like Julia, like Sally Field — even though that’s two names, it’s still one.”
Hanks — who earned a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his role in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood — looked back at his first acting role and repeatedly encouraged other actors to “go there” with their craft.
The film star became emotional again later on, even apologizing to the audience (“It’s [my] cold that’s making this happen. I swear to God, I’m not nearly this emotional at home”). He closed by thanking his fellow actors with a sign-off that used the filmmaking term “check the gate.”
“Thank you, HFPA; thank you all here,” he said. “Thank you for all your inspiration and all of your work and all the struggle that you guys go through in order to hit the marks and tell the truth. I have checked the gate; the gate is good.”
Featured via: Rollingstone
