Tom Hanks was awarded the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 77th Annual Golden Globe awards, delivering an inspiring speech in recognition of actors past, present and for the future.
The Cecil B. DeMille Award is an honorary Golden Globe Award bestowed for “outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment”. Previous winners include Jeff Bridges, Oprah Winfrey and Meryl Streep respectively.
Tom Hanks was given the award by co-worker Charlize Theron, followed by a reel clip of his film accomplishments, including movies Forrest Gump, Captain Phillips and Castaway.
In his speech, Tom Hanks gave his appreciation for not only actors, but for all workers of movie sets and people who allow his films to come to life.
The actor told a story about his first theatre internship at the Great Lake Shakespeare Festival, where director Dan Sullivan yelled at him and his fellow actors for partying late the night before.
“He screamed at us ‘You guys, do you know what your job is? You have got to show up on time, and you have to know the text, and you have to have a head full of ideas. Otherwise I can’t do my job!’
That was the greatest lesson a young actor could possibly ever get”, Hanks said.
Tom Hanks went onto stress the importance for people to always show up on time for work and always enter a job with fresh ideas.
He ended his speech by referencing the old Hollywood terminology of directors not being able to wrap a shot until the “gate“ was good, referring to movies shot on film. “I have checked the gate,” Hanks said. “The gate is good. Thank you.”
Tom Hanks receives the award after only recently becoming an official Greek citizen on December 27 2019.
