Jeff Bridges dedicates National Board of Review award to Standing Rock protesters
Jeff Bridges is one of those celebrities who, despite all the accolades and adoration, always seems like a pretty cool guy deep down, because he’s always being cool. And not just in a “I’m aware that this fame thing is kind of silly” way, but also in a “Maybe let me use this fame thing to do something nice” way. For example, as Vulture reports, when he was honored with a Best Supporting Actor award last night by the National Board Of Review for his work in Hell Or High Water, he used the opportunity to stand in solidarity with the protesters at Standing Rock Indian Reservation in the Dakotas.
“I also want to thank all those folks at Standing Rock, and all those people supporting them,” the 67-year-old actor said at the tail end of his acceptance speech. “The movie [Hell Or High Water] deals with the consequences of looking out only for your own self interest, what that costs not just to you, but everybody. And those folks at Standing Rock, they’re looking out not only for their own interests, but for all of our interests, making sure we live on a healthy planet. I support them, I applaud them, and I accept this award on their behalf.”
Actors and filmmakers using award ceremonies as soapboxes for pet social causes is nothing new (see every Susan Sarandon or Tim Robbins appearance of the past two decades), but there’s something about the understated brevity of the above comment that makes it a bit less de rigueur. Or maybe it’s just that Jeff Bridges is always so cool.