00:00Oh my goodness, what an honor it is to be here. My goodness. What's up, Philippines?
00:07And everybody else.
00:10Well, she is Disney royalty, she's Broadway royalty, she's Filipino royalty.
00:16So in other words, Lea Salonga is one of the highest-ranking officials of the three things that raised me.
00:23My name is Darren Criss, and Disney music from the 1990s shaped most of my young life,
00:28which would set me on a path to work as an actor on Broadway, and I am half Filipino.
00:33So as you can imagine, my love for Lea Salonga is not a casual one.
00:39If you're here watching this, you're obviously already well aware of Lea's extraordinary career,
00:44so I'd just like to make some remarks about the woman that I believe I've come to know a little
00:48bit over the past few years.
00:50There's this thing that happens when you spend enough time with a really talented person,
00:54where their superhuman abilities slowly evaporate into the grander swirl of who they are,
00:59what their personality is, the way they make you feel in the absence of those dazzling gifts you might get
01:05to see on a stage.
01:06The human behind the superhuman.
01:08That's who I'd like to talk about.
01:10Today we are celebrating a hard worker.
01:15Lea and I both had fathers who served in the Navy, and as such, I think we both know that
01:20one does not make it from Manila to Hollywood
01:22with a prolific as a resume as her simply on talent alone.
01:25She is a studied, devoted acolyte of the craftsmanship of performance.
01:30She's also managed to balance the intense gauntlet of being a supporting, loving mother to her son Nick
01:37with the relentless demands of what it is to be an in-demand, first-rate performer.
01:43This is someone who stands her ground and does not let people walk all over her.
01:49She is someone who takes their work very seriously.
01:52But thank God for everybody around her.
01:54She is also someone who does not take herself seriously at all.
01:58With a general aversion to compliments,
02:00she would sooner self-deprecate or dish out a wisecrack than validate herself.
02:05It's something I've always quietly loved about her.
02:08But that divine combination is what I think has allowed her to deliver the powerhouse performances
02:14she has come to be known for.
02:16A voice that brings us to our knees,
02:19but a disarming, lovable, open-armed spirit that picks us right up.
02:24It keeps her working, and it keeps her audiences coming back for more.
02:28Now naturally, she has been a champion of so many AAPI causes,
02:33both in the theater community and the world at large,
02:35but there's something else that she's been a long-time champion of,
02:38something that I am personally very grateful for.
02:41Having broken through at such a young age,
02:43she knows what it's like to be a young person hoping to win the favor of the elders,
02:48and as such has always been a real proponent for the next wave of talent.
02:52Meeting her in my early 20s, I remember the sense of welcoming that she gave me
02:56as I was about to embark on my own showbiz journey.
02:58I have now since seen her display that same warmth and encouragement to other young talent
03:03that I've worked with, and watched the spark in their eyes glimmer the same way it did in mine
03:07when I got to meet her.
03:09This is the mark of a good leader.
03:12She understands and accepts the role that she's been given as a person we look up to.
03:17In other words, even though she pretends not to,
03:20because she is, after all, make no mistake, a great actress,
03:24she knows what she means to people.
03:27She means so much to us.
03:30And she has, whether consciously or not, held out her hand to so many of them
03:34and said, hey, come on in.
03:36This is going to be fun.
03:38And it is fun.
03:39She is really fun.
03:41I am bragging when I say that I have had the distinct pleasure
03:44of spending a few late nights out with her in piano bars in New York City
03:48and right down the street here at our beloved Tramp Stamp Granny's,
03:51belting out Les Mis and, yes, of course, a whole new world.
03:55In these scenarios where she's singing out for surprised and delighted patrons,
03:59her passion is the exact same as it would be on a stage in front of thousands of people.
04:05It is never for her.
04:07She loves what she does.
04:09And it is a gift to us all.
04:13Leia, you have always been
04:16and will always be
04:19an unmatched force to be reckoned with.
04:25It's true.
04:28And I, and we are all so grateful for it,
04:31you are the first homegrown 100% Filipino to receive this honor.
04:40And so, of course, it is a privilege for me to get to be here for this.
04:44It gives me great pride to wear this barong
04:46and celebrate you as a big part of our cultural heritage.
04:51Congratulations on yet another historic distinction
04:55and truly incredible achievement.
04:57In the grand scheme of what you've given the world,
04:59this star almost seems like a small gesture,
05:02but it is nonetheless a fitting and lasting commemoration
05:05of the singular talent you've contributed,
05:08one that millions of other Broadway, Disney, and Filipino fans
05:11and everybody else that knows what's up
05:13will celebrate and cherish
05:15as they walk down this hallowed boulevard
05:18and see your name.
05:19I suspect it will be the only time
05:22that Leia Salonga will ever let anyone walk all over her.
05:29On behalf of millions of people who adore you worldwide,
05:33brava, bin batikita,
05:35and mabuhai, Leia Salonga!
05:44How dare you!
05:47You're going for a slam!
05:49You're going for a slam!
05:49You're going for a slam!
05:50You're going for a slam!
05:50You're going for a slam!
05:51You're going for a slam!
