Writers Hunter Harris, Kathleen Newman-Bremang and Omar El-Akkad join Elamin to discuss why more people aren’t taking advantage of their platform to amplify causes they care aboutHOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 12: Brendan Fraser accepts the Best Actor award for "The Whale" onstage during the 95th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Hollywood, California.
Tom Hanks, Halle Berry and Patricia Arquette have had some of the more memorable speeches. In 1994, when Hanks won the Oscar for best actor for the AIDs drama, he used his speech to shine a spotlight on two people who helped shape his early career, his drama teacher and his former classmate, the latter of whom died from AIDs.
"This moment is so much bigger than me," Berry exclaimed, "It's for every nameless, faceless woman of colour that now has a chance because this door tonight has been opened." To talk more about the greatest acceptance speeches of all time and why more people aren't using their platform to champion matters they care about, writers Hunter Harris, Kathleen Newman-Bremang and Omar El-Akkad join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud on Commotion.Kathleen, when you cast your mind back and think about the very best awards moments ever, what makes for a speech that is truly memorable?The Halle Berry one that you just played, that one came to mind immediately.