“At a moment in time where maybe the most important thing that we remember right now is the sanctity of the human spirit, it is the profound privilege of my life to play Prior Walter in ‘Angels in America’ because he represents the purest spirit of humanity, and especially that of the LGBTQ community,” Garfield said at Sunday night’s Tony Awards. “It is a spirit that says no to oppression. It is a spirit that says no to bigotry, no to shame, no to exclusion. It is a spirit that says we are all made perfectly.”
Garfield talked passionately in his speech about the recent Supreme Court decision that ruled in favor of a Colorado baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple.
“We all belong, so let’s just bake a cake for everyone who wants a cake to be baked!” Garfield said. “We all belong. So I dedicate this award to the countless LGBTQ people who have fought and died to protect that spirit, to protect that message for the right to live and love as we are created to.”
This was Garfield’s first Tony win and his second nomination. He was nominated in 2012 for “Death of a Salesman.” The actor’s speech wasn’t the only viral moment of the ceremony. Robert De Niro, while announcing a performance by Bruce Springsteen, was bleeped out when he dropped an f-bomb at about President Trump. “First, I wanna say, ‘f**k Trump,'” De Niro said. “It’s no longer ‘Down with Trump,’ it’s ‘f**k Trump.'”
The comments earned De Niro a standing ovation from the audience at New York’s Radio City Music Hall.