With award season upon us once again, there’s already been plenty of excitement and fanfare around. The buzz about the upcomingAcademy Awardsis starting, and we’ve already been treated to all the thrills ofthis year’sGolden Globesand have thePrimetime Emmysaround the corner.
For the cinephiles for whom movies and series are not just entertainment but an art form, awards season is one of the most exciting times of the year. Over the years, major awards shows like the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Primetime Emmys, Critic’s Choice Awards, and BAFTAs have given us some amazing andinfluential momentsof triumph and vindication for the artists who gave their all to the performances honored by them.
Equally emotional at times have been their moments on stage as they delivered acceptance speeches that stuck out for how inspirational or moving they were. Some used the platform to speak about matters close to their heart, bring awareness to significant social causes, or to just express what an honor it was. With so many memorable acceptance speeches over the years, in no particular order, here’s a look back at the 20 that we found most inspiring.
20Joaquin Phoenix — Academy Award for Best Actor (2020)
WhenJoaquin Phoenixwon the Best Actor Oscar forJoker,no one doubted that he deserved the award.The performance was exceptionaland layered in so many unique ways that it brought out the character’s darkest nuances with sublime skill.
Despite that, what stood out when he accepted his award was that he chose to make a speech about something far more important.
A Speech for All Humanity
There was an air of humility from the moment he began. His words acknowledged that more than all the material perks of being a star, it gave him the opportunity to be a voice for the voiceless. From there, Phoenix eloquently brought to lightthe on-going issue of climate changeand how we should all care about it since it affects us all.
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19Tyler Perry — BET Award for Ultimate Icon (2019)
Tyler Perryhas become one of the most powerful figures in Hollywood andbuilt an empirein the process. He’s often seen as an inspiration to people of color for his incredible achievements despite all the adversities he faced in life. In 2019 when he won an Icon Award at the BET Awards, his speech echoed all of these facts in a powerful way.
Related:How the Oscars Lost Cultural Relevance
Paving the Way
His speech started off with a story of how he helped a person selling sweets to cross the road. He then mentions how his first 10 movies were subconsciously for his mother, so she could feel seen and heard. In the same way, he passed a message to others that your skin color should never determine how much success a person can achieve.
18Austin Butler — BAFTA for Best Actor (2023)
Untitled Elvis Presley Project
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Austin Butler’sperformance inElviswas mesmerizing, and made it truly feel like the King had been brought back to life. Everything from his voice tohis mannerisms and moveswere perfectly executed and a true treat for fans of the legendary singer and actor.
Sweet and Heartfelt
When he won the BAFTA for that role, Butler’s speech was truly heartfelt, since it conveyed a humility in deferring to the grandeur of the role. His tone captured this, as he thanked the people who helped him perfect the role.
As a sweet touch, he ended it bythanking the Presley familyand acknowledging how they had helped him truly understand who Elvis really was from those who knew and loved him best.
Stream Elvis on Netflix
17Brendan Fraser — Academy Award for Best Actor (2023)
2023’sThe Whalewas a film that made waves for its bold subject and the brilliant manner it was executed.The crowning achievementfor the film came whenBrendan Fraserwon the Oscar for Best Actor for his role in it. A veteran of the industry, he’s famously faced some very hard times and was even blacklisted and shunned for years because he spoke out about it.
A Standing Ovation
When he delivered his speech, Fraser immediately received a standing ovation. The palpable emotion in the room echoed all he had gone through while remaining a beloved actor despite his much-publicized hardships in the industry. His words weren’t anything particularly inspiring, but it was the pure joy and emotion in his tone that conveyed what a special moment it was and made it a truly inspiring one.
Stream The Whale on Paramount+
16Eddie Redmayne — Academy Award for Best Actor (2015)
The Theory of Everything
His performance inThe Theory of Everythingmade everyone stand up and recognize definitively whata fantastic actorEddie Redmayneis. His role as Stephen Hawking was exceptional, and he’s rightly been held in the highest regard by fans and peers ever since.
A Bit of Everything
Redmayne’s speech had a little bit of everything, including a moment when he looked at the Oscar in his hand and seemed almost overwhelmed at the fact that he was actually standing there having won one. While he made jokes and got the crowd laughing, he also very humbly dedicated his award to everyone struggling with ALS.
Rent The Theory of Everything on Apple TV+
15Bong Joon Ho — Academy Award for Best Director (2020)
In 2020 the filmParasiteputforeign movies in the spotlightas it won big at the Oscars. It’s director,Bong Joon Hogave a moving speech through a translator that resulted in a standing ovation in the middle of the speech. A memorable moment, it spoke of Ho’s humility as he thanked every one of his film-making heroes, singling out one in particular.
Related:The Best Oscar Acceptance Speeches of All Time, Ranked
Nod to a Legend
While he mentioned other directors that inspired and helped him, Ho heaped praise on Martin Scorsese. He started by mentioning an inspiring quote about how most creative parts of us come from that which is personal, before pointing to the crowd and mentioning that those words came from the great Martin Scorsese. That sent the crowd into rapture as the entire room stood up to acknowledge the iconic director.
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14Kate Winslet — Academy Award for Best Actress (2009)
The Reader
Eversince her role inTitanic,Kate Winslethas rightly been regarded as one of the finest actors around. When she won the Best Actress Oscar forThe Reader, her joy was inspiring, since it was plain for everyone to see how much it all still meant to her despite having been an A-lister for many years by that point.
Remembering to Feel Proud
While making a political point and standing up for causes were great, there was also nothing wrong with remembering to feel proud of the achievement either. Winslet’s emotion was touching and as she recounted how she had practiced a version of this speech since she was eight-years-old, it was inspiring to hear how she had achieved her dreams all those years later.
Stream The Reader on Prime Video
13Matthew McConaughey — Academy Award for Best Actor (2014)
Dallas Buyers Club
When he won the Best Actor Award forDallasBuyersClub,it was finally vindication forMatthewMcConaugheyas an actor, since he spent much ofhis early careerbeing typecast and mostly adored for his physical features.
He’s since gone on to cement that acceptance with other sterling performances that show what great range and depth he actually has. McConaughey’s speech that night at the Oscars remains an inspiring one for many, since he chose to be bold and true to himself with it.
Acknowledging His Faith
Matthew McConaughey’s beliefs as a Christian are well-known. However, when he got up on stage, knowing what a massive worldwide platform it was, he emphatically thanked God first for everything he was and had achieved.
Given that Hollywood politics has often been very harsh toward Christian beliefs because of how often it aligned with conservatism, for many Christians out there, McConaughey’s speech was inspiring for how boldly he was willing to declare his faith, knowing it could lead to backlash.
A piecefromTime Magazineaptly summed up why it was a big deal.
But there were some people who did care. They cared very, very much. Part of the reason people care is that award winners thanking God is far from common at the Oscars. According to theDaily Caller, God has been thanked just 14 times in 100 speeches over the last 30 years. In the last decade, according toSlate, God has been mentioned fewer times than Meryl Streep.
Rent Dallas Buyers Club on Prime Video
12Chadwick Boseman — AFI Lifetime Achievement Award for Denzel Washington (2019)
When the lateChadwick Bosemandelivered a speech for an AFI Lifetime Achievement Award for Denzel Washington, no better person could have been chosen to do it.Boseman owed his career to himand his emotional words perfectly echoed that humbling story.
An Offering from a Sage and a King
While recounting the story, Boseman jokingly referred to Washington as “the dopest” actor around but then also beautifully captured why his act of generosity had meant so much to his career and the cinematic world by extension.
The offering from a Sage and a King is more than silver and gold. It is a seed of hope, a bud of faith. There is no Black Panther without Denzel Washington!
11Lupita Nyong’o — Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress (2014)
12 Years a Slave
12 Years a Slavewas a powerful film that provided a devastatingly brilliant portrayal of the horrors of slavery. It also provided some superb performances, and was an early glimpse ofthe amazing talentLupita Nyong’opossesses. Winning an Oscar for it was a remarkable achievement given that it was only her second film role.
Suffering for Success
Her speech for the award was filled with emotion but also very inspiring because it paid homage to those who suffered at the hands of slavery.
Related:Exclusive: Eddie Redmayne and A. R Rahman Go Behind the Oscars Speech
A topic that never loses relevance, Lupita’s speech recognized the character she played and all she and others had to endure because of this dark period of human history.
