Morgan Freeman calls out person ‘chatting’ during his Lifetime Achievement acceptance speech at SAG Awards
The actor, 80, had just stepped on stage to accept the award when he appeared to spot someone chatting in the front row
MORGAN Freeman was not about to let anyone spoil his moment at the Screen Actors Guild Awards tonight – especially not someone talking during his speech.
The actor, 80, had just stepped on stage to accept the Lifetime Achievement award when he appeared to spot someone chatting in the front row.
Clearly distracted, Freeman pauses and appears to zero in on the unknown audience member, before saying: “Hey… I’m talking to you.”
The Shawshank Redemption star waits for the person to look up before continuing: “Yeah, hey… okay, well you just stand out to me. That’s all.”
It’s not clear what the crowd member had responded back or whether they had apologised, but the actor continued with his speech where he also addressed issues of gender inequality.
Discussing the award statue, he said: “I wasn’t going to do this; I’m going to tell you what’s wrong with this statue. It works from the back, but from the front, it’s gender specific. Maybe I started something.”
The audience rose to their feet in a standing ovation, and Freeman concluded: “This is beyond honour, this is a place in history.”
The SAGs statuette is called “The Actor” and depicts a performer holding the drama and comedy masks.
His comments came during a ceremony that put a special emphasis on women, with a line-up of nearly all female presenters and its first-ever host in Kristen Bell.
Rita Moreno presented the award to Freeman, who received a standing ovation and kissed the actress gently on the lips when he took the stage.
Freeman wore a black baseball cap during the show, and was chided by Moreno to raise the hat a bit so people could see his face better.
He obliged and joked that was what he had to put up with when he and Moreno worked together on the show “Electric Company.”
Freeman was honored for a lifetime of successful movies, including Million Dollar Baby, Invictus, Glory and Shawshank Redemption.
He said: “These moments in one’s life usually call for an entire litany of thank yous.
“I can’t do that because I don’t know all of your names. So I won’t try.”
SAG Awards 2018 Winners List
Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour
Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Allison Janney, I, Tonya
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Theatrical Motion Picture
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
Wonder Woman
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Alexander Skarsgard, Big Little Lies
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Nicole Kidman, Big Little Lies
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Claire Foy, The Crown
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
William H. Macy, Shameless
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
This Is Us
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
Game of Thrones
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