Tom Hiddleston Apologizes for “Inelegant” Speech At 2017 Golden Globes

Tom Hiddleston, star of the crime TV series The Night Manager, won the 2017 Golden Globes Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series. His acceptance speech, however, was criticized for being less-than-spectacular.

During his speech, Hiddleston brought up his work in South Sudan, the youngest country in the world, located in East Africa. Hiddleston went on to talk about his work in South Sudan, and his interactions there with humanitarians and the Sudanese people. He managed to connect the strife there with the TV series, saying: “there’s a terrible situation happening [there] for children. The Night Manager is about arms dealing, and there are far too many arms going into South Sudan.”

He continued his anecdote, saying that he was approached there by a group of teenagers, who “wanted to say hello, because during the shelling the previous month, they had binge-watched The Night Manager.”

After smiling humbly, the star said, “And the idea that I could provide, or that we could provide, some relief and entertainment for the people who work for UNICEF… who are fixing the world in the places where it is broken, made me immensely proud, so I dedicate this to those out there who are doing their best.”

Critics of the speech saw it as Hiddleston turning an inspirational moment into an advertisement for his show. The speech was not well-received on Twitter. Some condemned it as a “humblebrag,” with one user tweeting: “I can’t believe his story ended up being a commercial for…The Night Manager.”

One user summed up the cringe-worthy moment with a Vine of fellow actors and actresses’ reactions to the speech:

Following the public disapproval, Hiddleston felt the need to apologize on Facebook. He wrote, “I completely agree that my speech…was inelegantly expressed.” He explained that he was “very nervous” and his words “just came out wrong.”

The full text read: “I just wanted to say … I completely agree that my speech at the Golden Globes last night was inelegantly expressed. In truth, I was very nervous, and my words just came out wrong. Sincerely, my only intention was to salute the incredible bravery and courage of the men and women who work so tirelessly for UNICEF UK, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), and World Food Programme, and the children of South Sudan, who continue to find hope and joy in the most difficult conditions. I apologise that my nerves got the better of me.”