Michael Keaton had Salma Hayek panicking when she announced that he had won a Screen Actors Guild award Sunday evening and he was nowhere to be found!
The actress presented the award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series during the SAG Awards extravaganza, but when she called out the 70-year-old’s name, who won for his performance in Dopesick, he was MIA.
After the crowd’s cheering died down and Michael still hadn’t revealed himself, Salma hilariously called out:
“Are you kidding me? I have stage fright. Come on Michael! Come on Michael!”
Ha!
Thankfully, Keaton made it in time, rushing — well, rolling — onto the stage to accept his award. Once at the podium, he explained:
“Thank you very much. Sorry! Quick trip to the men’s room. It was packed, by the way. This is so nice, thank you very much. Really, I’m truly grateful.”
LOLz!!
Despite the rushed circumstances, the Batman lead didn’t miss a beat and ended up delivering one of the most heartfelt and emotional speeches of the entire evening!
To begin, the 30 Rock star acknowledged that many find award shows a bit “narcissistic” and unnecessary. He didn’t disagree, calling it a “legitimate argument to be made,” but he insisted that he’s so “fortunate” to be able to perform in the roles he has, sharing:
“I have a job where I can be part of a production like Dopesick, or Worth, or whatever that actually can spawn thought, conversation, actual change. Who gets to have that job? Seriously? How fortunate am I that good can come from something I do just because I learn to become an actor?”
Dopesick follows the country’s opioid crisis, an issue that is extremely personal to the actor who lost his nephew Michael in 2016 following an accidental overdose of heroin and fentanyl. In the limited series, he plays Dr. Samuel Finnix, a family doctor who is also personally impacted by the effects of OxyContin.
Discussing the important subject matter, the performer continued:
“There’s massive inequity in the world. In Dopesick, when you talk about addiction, the way to heal the problem is to accept that you have a problem. Not our country. The entire world. Economically, racially, socially, financially. There’s massive inequity in the world. There just is. There’s fair, and there’s unfair. There’s not a lot of room in between.”
Calling out haters, the Oscar nominee then teased:
“I can feel right now the rolling thunder of eye-rolling. People saying to me things like, ‘Shut up and dribble. Shut up and act.’ The acting thing I’ll quit, the shutting up not so much.”
That powerful statement earned him some major praise from the A-listers in attendance. Awesome!
Related: Ryan Reynolds Says He Feels Like A ‘Different Person’ At Times Due To His Anxiety
Overcome with gratitude, the Pennsylvania native mused:
“I am blessed to be able to do something that might improve someone’s life. I’m the most fortunate person, I swear to God.”
Things then took a very emotional turn when he dedicated his award to two very special people, concluding:
“Mostly, given the subject matter, this for my nephew Michael and my sister Pam. I lost Micheal [to drugs] and it hurts. This is for my sister Pam. Thanks.”
Phew. He really poured his heart out in that speech.
Watch the whole thing (below).
Powerful!
You can tell how meaningful this project was to him, making the award just the cherry on top. Thoughts, Perezcious readers?
The post Michael Keaton Was In The Bathroom When He Won At SAG Awards -- Then Delivered Tear-Jerking Speech Dedicated To His Late Nephew appeared first on Perez Hilton.