00:00Hey guys! Thank you Aldis, it's always good to see him. So wait a minute, let me see
00:07where I'm looking at. Where's my girl? Cynthia. Cynthia Erivo. Okay, I'm not sure
00:15that there's much that I can say that I haven't already said, but you know, here
00:20it goes. While most of the world was dazzled by you first in the Broadway
00:24musical The Color Purple, for me, it was Harriet. Man, I was with a girlfriend of
00:32mine and she lives for we will overcome moments, so I was a little bit concerned
00:36because I was not in the mood to be mad at America again. But she insisted that
00:41this wasn't that, so I was like, okay, okay, let me watch the movie. And she was right.
00:47The depth of emotion displayed while still portraying Harriet with so much
00:53pride, it gave me chills. So much so that I had to DM you on Instagram to let you
00:59know how much I was moved by your ability to be both strong, vulnerable, and
01:05honorable. Then my father told me he loved you in Aretha. Then my dear friend
01:12Naomi Ackie told me you had been killing it since you attended the Royal Academy
01:16of Dramatic Arts back in England, of course. As one of the very few black
01:23women that have gotten in, something I know that you are currently working on
01:27the board to change, so bravo to that. So, there was so much chatter about Wicked,
01:35right? My girls and I were all talking about the press tour and with all the
01:39crying you and Ariana was doing, I didn't know if I was going to see a musical or
01:42drama. But little did I know it was both. Girl, why was I sobbing in the theater?
01:52Why do you have me sobbing and holding my head up high? This is why you are one
01:58of my favorite actresses because I see me in you. I do get my feelings heard. I
02:05do want to be liked, but I'm nobody's victim and I will never let anyone
02:11change the likeness in my step and the crack in my smile. And you possess and
02:16inject that fire into all your characters. I held my mother's hand in
02:22that scene where Elphaba is falling out the sky and she sees that little her.
02:28The innocence that's lost so early in womanhood or feeling invisible or just
02:33being the minority. We must always fight to protect that little person that knows
02:40they are more than what the world has told them they could be.
02:47You do this, Cynthia. You do this in life and you have done this in art. And I, you
02:53know, I was one of those children that believed because of art. And you keep me
02:58believing and so many others. Please never stop. I am so proud of you and I am
03:05so happy to be here to honor you and give you this much deserved award. As I
03:10have said once and I'll say it again, Cynthia Erivo, you are truly remarkable.
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