00:00Please join me in welcoming Jacob Elordi.
00:04G'day. To write something that sums up the near lifetime dedication of Sir Gary Oldman to his
00:24craft these last few weeks has been a nearly impossible task. As soon as I thought that
00:30I'd caught him or I had an idea of how I wanted the speech to go, he would just slip through
00:36my fingers. This is the infinite elusivity of Gary Oldman. It's difficult to talk about
00:43something that you can't quite fully grasp, but I think that that's it. I think that that's
00:47the point. It's the elusivity that makes him one of the greatest actors who ever lived.
00:53Sid Vicious, Count Dracula, Drexel Zorg, Commissioner Gordon, Winston Churchill, Herman Mankiewicz,
00:59Sirius Black. It's a list that we can't fit into a two minute speech. But I remember my
01:04movie going experience with each of these characters. I recall them in my brain, not as characters,
01:09but as real people. These are all fully lived parts that belong to a mask carefully constructed
01:15by a great artist. An artist whose canvas is his body, his voice, and sometimes parts of
01:22his soul. Truth like this can only be achieved through the dedication of one's whole life.
01:27We are here today talking about one of storytelling's greatest performers. It is our great privilege
01:33to live in your time. The reason that I think that your work transcends is because of the inspiration
01:38that it brings to all of us. You have set the tone of my dreams for as long as I can remember
01:44studying and loving actors and performance. There is a reason why actors of all generations
01:49sing the song of Gary Oldman when we talk about the legends. You have set fire to the standard
01:55over and over and demanded a higher bar. Thank you for showing us how great we can be. Thank
02:02you for letting us know how important it is that we care. Thank you for daring us to be
02:07different. Thank you for lighting the fire under my feet personally. You have put the wind
02:12in all of our sails and there is no place better to immortalize what you have done with a great
02:18deal of respect and awe. Thank you, Sir Gary Oldman. We tip our hats to you. Well done.
02:25That's off the top.
Comments