Michael Keaton Dedicates SAG Award Win To Nephew Who Died From Drug Overdose

For his performance as the drug-addicted doctor Samuel Finnix in the Hulu miniseries Dopesick, Michael Keaton was honored with the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie.

Despite there being a humorously awkward pause after his name was announced since the actor was in the bathroom, Keaton quickly took the stage and delivered one of the best acceptance speeches of the night. He rolled onto the stage after jogging up upon realizing he was late and hopped up to relieve presenter Salma Hayek who had been waiting on him.

He began by joking that it’s a “legitimate argument” to call awards shows, “self-serving, narcissistic,” but added, “I’m so blessed to do what I do.” He added that he loved being in films or TV shows “that actually can spawn thought, conversation, actual change, who gets to have that job?” Keaton then went from talking about the joy of getting to act for a living to the subject of opioid addiction that Dopesick is based around.

“There’s massive inequity in the world … Not our country, the entire world,” Keaton said. “Economically, racially, socially, financially, there’s massive inequity. There just is.” He responded to people who might respond to his political aspects of the speech with comments like, “Shut up and dribble, shut up and act,” with a simple comeback. “The acting I’ll quit, the shutting up, not so much,” Keaton said.

Along with those great moments, Keaton also recognized “fellow actor” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for “fighting the fight,” and ended the speech on a very emotional note. Instead of listing a huge series of collaborators who realized the project like most end up doing, Keaton gave the last moment of his speech to one family member of his who has passed away. “Given the subject matter. This is for my nephew Michael, and my sister Pam. I lost my nephew Michael to drugs, and it hurts,” Keaton said as he teared up.