Tom Hiddleston has apologised for his ill-received acceptance speech at yesterday’s Golden Globe awards.
Basically, while accepting the award for Best Actor in a Mini-Series or TV Movie for his role in ‘The Night Manager‘, he took the opportunity to share a story about his humanitarian work in South Sudan, and it definitely came off a bit on the nose.
.@twhiddleston wins Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made For Television! Congrats! #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/2hDCKNXVNN
— Golden Globe Awards (@goldenglobes) January 9, 2017
“I recently went to South Sudan, which is the youngest country in the world, in East Africa, with the United Nations Children’s Fund,” he said. “I do a little bit of work with them to spread the word as fast as I can. It’s a terrible situation for children there. ‘The Night Manager’ is about arms dealing, and there are far too many arms going into South Sudan.”
So far, so good.
“There’s a curfew at 6pm every night, because humanitarian aid workers have to be inside so that it’s safe, by six. And one night we were having a bite to eat at the canteen where we were staying, and a group of young men and women tottered over to the table and we were all having what they call a ‘dirty beer’, in humanitarian language.
No dramas here.
“They were a group of Médicins Sans Frontiers doctors and nurses, and they wanted to say hello, because during the shelling the previous month they had binge-watched ‘The Night Manager’. And the idea that I could provide, or that we could provide some relief or entertainment for the people who worked at UNICEF and Médicins Sans Frontiers and the World Food Programme, who are fixing the world in the places where it is broken, made me immensely proud. So I dedicate this to those out there who are doing their best.”
Eh?
Look, it goes without saying that Hiddleston had extremely good intentions. Using his immense reach as a celebrity to raise awareness about a country that has been devastated by civil war, as well as to the organisations working to bring peace, stability, and basic food and medical supplies to the region, is demonstrably a good thing.
TOM HIDDLESTON: Listen to my speech about Sudan
AUDIENCE: Okay
HIDDLESTON: …and how it proves my TV show was good.
AUDIENCE: Oh no.— Freddie Campion (@FreddieCampion) January 9, 2017
Remember Ben Stiller’s monologue in Extras about how important Meet the Parents is to the war-torn kids?
That was Tom Hiddleston’s speech.
— Aaron Fullerton (@AaronFullerton) January 9, 2017
Tom hiddleston’s speech was the embodiment of white people self-centerism. I’m surprised he and taylor swift didnt work out
— barbara (@miasanrich) January 9, 2017
Naomi Harris expression listening to Tom Hiddleston ‘white savior of Sudan’ speech is priceless #GoldenGlobes #hiddenfences pic.twitter.com/CA7X5AgxhX
— VzA (@ValerieComplex) January 9, 2017
Christian Slater’s face listening to Tom Hiddleston’s “people in South Sudan love me” speech should be on US currency. pic.twitter.com/8HbZScXbH2
— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) January 9, 2017
Following waves of criticism overnight, Hiddleston has now apologised for his speech, explaining that his nerves got the better of him and he agrees wholeheartedly with public’s reaction.
“I just wanted to say… I completely agree that my speech at the Golden Globes last night was inelegantly expressed,” he wrote on Facebook. “In truth, I was very nervous, and my words just came out wrong. Sincerely, my only intention was to salute the incredible bravery and courage of the men and women who work so tirelessly for UNICEF UK, Doctors Without Borders / Médicins Sans Frontiers and World Food Programme, and the children of South Sudan, who continue to find hope and joy in the most difficult conditions. I apologise that my nerves got the better of me.”
Judging by the comments section (always a risky op), his apology is going down well with fans who were unhappy with his speech, and less well with fans who thought he had nothing to apologise for in the first place.
Photo: Golden Globes.
