00:00There's a lot of people in this room right now.
00:02I have a lot of papers in my pocket that I'm going to pull out and read from because I
00:06don't have it memorized.
00:07So sorry.
00:09First off, I just want to say thank you and hi to everybody.
00:11You guys are all so cool and you guys look so great and I love all of you guys.
00:16So that's the first part.
00:18I would like to thank Variety for this incredible honor.
00:21It feels pretty surreal to be standing here.
00:23Growing up, I looked up to so many people that were a part of Variety.
00:26And so to have the opportunity to be here and be one of them is quite wild and I will
00:33never take it for granted.
00:34So thank you, Variety, to all of you guys.
00:36You guys are amazing.
00:36Can we give it up for Variety real quick?
00:38Come on.
00:39I just want to say thank you for believing in me and for supporting the next generation of storytellers because
00:44there's so many of you guys out there and you guys are all amazing.
00:47Tiffany, thank you so much for presenting this award for me.
00:51I love you so much.
00:52You're amazing and you're so beautiful.
00:53And I'm pretty sure my dad had pictures of you in his wall growing up.
00:56So anyways, sorry, dad.
00:58Love you.
00:58And love you, mom.
00:59Okay, there we go.
01:01And I'm also so excited for all of you guys to see Covenant Academy.
01:06I know we are both so proud of it and so proud of the work that not only us but
01:09all the other cast and crew that are here put together.
01:12So you guys need to go check that out once it comes out.
01:14And then also congrats, Sombra, Tate, and Tyreek.
01:17You guys are all so sick.
01:18There he is.
01:19I see his six.
01:20How tall is he?
01:20Six?
01:21He's just poking out.
01:22There we go.
01:23So I am, like, huge fans of all you guys.
01:25So to be able to share this night together is so rad.
01:28I've been pretty lucky to have spent the majority of my life on sets.
01:32And one of the coolest things about this industry is that you take a lot of different things from different
01:37projects.
01:37And whether that be from a director or a crewmate or a cast member, you take that to your next
01:42job.
01:43And I think that's something so special.
01:45And I see a couple of you guys out there tonight.
01:47So I just want to share my gratitude to you guys and to all the experiences that have gotten me
01:51on this stage with this amazing glass podium that I hope I don't break.
01:55I'm going to flip the page like this and say thank you to my team that is over there.
02:00Where are you guys?
02:02I love you guys.
02:04Dana, Margo, Leslie, Gina, and Meg.
02:06Thank you guys for supporting me and for always being in my corner.
02:09You guys are amazing.
02:10And then thank you to everybody at DBT.
02:13Ayo, Brenda, Charlie, Andy, Leah.
02:17You guys are amazing.
02:18You guys have literally seen me since I was a wee lad, eight years old.
02:21And you guys have supported me and literally shaped my entire journey as an actor and as a human.
02:27And so thank you so much for that.
02:28And then to my parents.
02:29I love you guys more than you know.
02:31Where are they?
02:31Guys, can we give it up for my parents real quick?
02:33They don't get in as much praise as they need to.
02:35I love you guys so much.
02:38You guys made our house a place where creativity, art, music, and most importantly, God were at the center.
02:44And dreaming big somehow felt totally normal.
02:46You've taught me that success isn't about the awards or the headlines,
02:49but it's about the person you become along the way.
02:51So thank you for sacrificing so much so I could chase something I really, really love.
02:55I love that this award says Rising Star because you're not done rising.
02:59You're still climbing.
03:00You're still learning, taking risks, and getting better.
03:02And that's exactly how I feel.
03:03The best is yet to come.
03:05Thank you, Jesus.
03:06And y'all have an amazing night.
03:07Party hard.
03:08Mwah.
03:09Boom.
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