Dwayne Johnson told fans of the power of compassion and “being ourselves” while accepting a top honour at the MTV Movie and TV awards.
“The most powerful thing we can be is ourselves,” said Johnson on receiving the icon generation award, given to actors who have had a positive impact on society. “When I first got to Hollywood, they didn’t know what the hell to do with me. I was a half black, half Samoan, six-foot-four, 275-pound pro wrestler.
“I was told you’ve got to be a certain way, you’ve got to drop some weight, you’ve got to be somebody different. For years I bought into it because you think, ‘Oh, that’s what I’m supposed to do’ and I was miserable. I made a choice that I wasn’t going to conform to Hollywood, Hollywood was going to conform to me.”
“When I was 15, I heard a quote and I’ll never forget it – ‘It’s nice to be important but it’s more important to be nice.”’
Inclusivity and celebration were the themes of the night. Brie Larson, who won the best fight award for Captain Marvel, brought her stunt doubles, Joanna Bennett and Renae Moneymaker, on stage for recognition. “They are the living embodiment of Captain Marvel,” Larson said as she stepped aside to let the women give speeches.
The show included a skit on which host Zachary Levi starred in a comedic take on Jordan Peele’s Us. Levi urged viewers to nurture the kid in themselves and follow their dreams into adulthood.
Lana Condor, accepting the best kiss award with her To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before co-star Noah Centineo, delivered a similarly thoughtful message: “Kiss who you want to kiss. Love who you want to love, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
Daniel Levy shared a similar sentiment after winning the best comedic performance award for Schitt’s Creek. “If I’ve taken anything away from making Schitt’s Creek, it’s that kindness always wins, and love is best served unconditionally,” he said, before wishing everyone a happy Pride month.
At a ceremony featuring fully gender-neutral categories, women took home several of the night’s biggest awards, including best performance in a TV show (Elisabeth Moss for The Handmaid’s Tale) and in a movie (Lady Gaga for A Star Is Born).
Accepting an award from Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot, Sandra Bullock said she was happy her son could see her receive her award in a room with “real-life superheroes”.
“I’m sure he will notice that they are women, just like his mama,” she said.
Full list of winners
Best movie Avengers: Endgame
Best show Game of Thrones
Best performance in a movie Lady Gaga (Ally) – A Star is Born
Best performance in a show Elisabeth Moss (June Osborne/Offred) – The Handmaid’s Tale
Best hero Robert Downey Jr (Tony Stark/Iron Man) – Avengers: Endgame
Best villain Josh Brolin (Thanos) – Avengers: Endgame
Best kiss Noah Centineo & Lana Condor (Peter Kavinsky & Lara Jean) – To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
Reality royalty Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta
Best comedic performance Dan Levy (David Rose) – Schitt’s Creek
Breakthrough performance Noah Centineo (Peter Kavinsky) – To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
Best fight Captain Marvel – Captain Marvel v Minn-Erva
Best real-life hero Ruth Bader Ginsburg – RBG
Most frightened performance Sandra Bullock (Malorie) – Bird Box
Best documentary Surviving R Kelly
Best host Nick Cannon – Wild ‘n Out
Most meme-able moment The Bachelor – Colton Underwood jumps the fence
Best musical moment A Star Is Born – Shallow
