00:00Oh, wow. Oh, wow. We got to make this taller. Thank you so much, Kiernan, for those kind words.
00:06I paid her to say that. So, yeah, send me the invoice later.
00:11Kiernan looks lovely tonight. Let's give her another round of applause.
00:16We coordinated this outfit. So, all right. Yeah, I have papers in my pocket, too, Malachi.
00:21So, uh-oh. Just give me two seconds. Oh, my God. So many cameras. I feel like I'm on Love
00:27Island.
00:28Anyways, yes, thank you. Thank you, Ramin and everyone at Variety for this incredible honor.
00:34I'm deeply humbled. You know, it's a blessing to be here.
00:37But before I begin, I'd be remiss to not acknowledge my privilege, which has given me the possibility to stand
00:43in front of you here today.
00:44And I do not take that for granted at all.
00:48So, I just wanted to say it is a blessing to share this space with Sombra, Tate McRae, and Malachi.
00:55Your gifts really light up this space, and it's a pleasure to be with you.
01:00So, moving into the speech part of this.
01:03I'm not going to lie. When I first found out the award would be the New Leading Man Award, you
01:08know, weird feelings bubbled up.
01:09It's almost like my palms were sweaty, knees weak, arms were heavy.
01:14No? Y'all know spaghetti?
01:15Spaghetti? All right, anyways.
01:17You know, but I felt gratitude, of course.
01:20Humbled, but a lot of discomfort.
01:22You know, because for a long time, I didn't feel like I deserved to be in places like this.
01:28As an artist, I grew up believing that there would be some sort of end point.
01:32I get to the top of a mountain, but only to realize there's many more mountains left after that.
01:37You know, I thought I would wake up one day feeling like I had arrived, believe that confidence was to
01:41show up with a warm welcome embrace.
01:44But I believe, you know, I would stop doubting myself and finally be worthy of the opportunities that were in
01:49front of me.
01:50But it's funny because it doesn't really work like that.
01:53You know, I think we all can agree on this.
01:56The truth is, I'll never be ready.
01:59The only one, the only way to is through and the best thing I can do is show up as
02:04the best version of me.
02:05Be present, be thoughtful, just be.
02:09You know, every time I'm blessed enough to work, that set still asks something of me.
02:14Every character asks me to expose a part of myself I'd rather hide.
02:18You know, the time spent between action and cut is very quick,
02:20which reminds me that being a leading man has very little to do with standing in front of a camera.
02:26It's about being willing to be seen and seeing others.
02:31You know, I'm constantly learning what true strength is.
02:34Strength isn't pretending you have all the answers.
02:37Strength is staying open even after the world tries to close you off.
02:40You know, it's choosing love and compassion when life gives you every reason to not.
02:46What did Rocky say?
02:47You get knocked down three times and on the fourth take you could finally send in that self-tape?
02:50Something like that.
02:51I'm just paraphrasing.
02:52You know, it's allowing grief to make you softer instead of callous.
02:57You know, I stand here before you today as a mosaic,
03:00a mosaic made up of all my past experiences with loved ones.
03:04You know, some of those loved ones I wish could see this.
03:07This night, this moment aren't here anymore.
03:09But what a blessing.
03:10What a blessing it is that I get to carry them with me anyway.
03:13The best way to honor them is to live,
03:15which allows me to continue the conversations we never got to finish.
03:20This career has introduced me to artists who have shown me that excellence and kindness can coexist in the same
03:25person.
03:26Some of which are in this very room tonight.
03:28And that's no shade.
03:29I haven't met everyone.
03:31Directors who trusted me well before I trusted myself.
03:35Oh, thank you, Donald Glover.
03:37To my team, to my friends, my family, and everyone who believed in me long before moments like this,
03:44I share this honor with you.
03:46You know, I've been doing a lot of work with my therapist.
03:49Shout out Mercedes.
03:51You know, we've been doing a lot of work together.
03:53Doing a lot of inner child healing.
03:55With that, I think about the kid watching movies who doesn't quite know where he fits in.
03:59Maybe he feels too much.
04:00Maybe he's too much of a cancer with an Aries moon.
04:03Yeah, it is what it is.
04:04Yeah.
04:05Maybe he's still trying to figure out who he's allowed to become.
04:09Maybe he's trying to figure out, you know, how to make it on Disney Channel Games.
04:12Y'all should really bring that back because sign me up.
04:15You know, I hope he knows that there isn't just one way to be a man.
04:19You know, you can be ambitious, yet gentle.
04:22You can be vulnerable, yet strong.
04:24You can carry your scars without letting them define you or your future.
04:28If I want my career to stand for anything, I hope it's that.
04:32Leading with love.
04:34This award says, new leading man.
04:36I don't hear that as a title.
04:38I hear that as a challenge.
04:40An invite, if you will.
04:41You know, an invite to keep chasing and choosing stories that ask those difficult questions.
04:46An invite to keep collaborating with people who make me better.
04:49An invite, most importantly, an invite to keep staying curious.
04:54To Variety, thank you for believing in me.
04:56I'm just getting started.
04:58And with that, thank you, thank you, thank you.
05:02No?
05:05Just getting started.
05:06With that, I'd like to leave off on a quote commonly said by one of my favorite actors,
05:11God rest his soul, Chadwick Boseman, through the heart of Nina Simone.
05:14What a blessing it is to be young, gifted, and black.
05:20Please watch this.
05:20Please watch this.
05:20Please watch this.
05:20Please watch this.
05:21Please watch this.
05:22Please watch this.
05:22Please watch this.
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