Whatever your thoughts on the Golden Globes or Ricky Gervais, I think we can all agree that Tom Hanks is a wonderful human being. That was abundantly clear when Hanks was accepting the Cecil B. deMille award at last night’s ceremony. The iconic actor’s speech was gracious, funny, and earnest as he touched on his family, his career, and the most important life lessons he’s learned over the years as an actor, director, and screenwriter.
It’s the kind of speech that makes you believe in the inherent goodness of people, and Hanks feels at once off the cuff and totally prepared. Having interviewed Hanks personally I can attest that he is as thoughtful and engaging in real life as he is here—he’s a truly smart and curious human being who has not taken his career for granted. Some veteran actors start to check out as they get older, or really only care about their part or what they can do in their off time. Or maybe even don’t really care about the craft of acting at all anymore. But not Hanks. This guy loves film almost as much as Martin Scorsese does. He loves working in this industry, and it’s clear he still loves learning despite the fact that he’s won two Oscars and countless other awards, and has starred in some of the most iconic films of all time.
So do yourself a favor and take seven minutes out of your day to watch Tom Hanks’ full Golden Globes speech below. You’ll be glad you did.
For more on the awards ceremony, here’s the full list of winners and my breakdown of the snubs and surprises.
