American actor Tom Cruise received an honorary award from the Academy at the Governors Awards ceremony, delivering an emotional speech about how significant cinema is in his life.
The Standart reports that the award was presented to the actor by director Alejandro González Iñárritu, who is currently working with Cruise on a new film set to be released next year. For Cruise, a four-time Oscar nominee, the award is a recognition of his long-standing contribution to world cinema.
The honorary Oscar is the same statuette as the Oscar, but awarded based on the decision of the Board of Governors of the Academy, rather than through a vote of the entire Academy.
In his speech, the actor emphasized that cinema shapes his personality and worldview. "It makes me travel the world. It helps appreciate the differences between people. It shows us our common humanity," said Cruise.
Tom Cruise was honored alongside choreographer Debbie Allen and production designer Wynn Thomas, known for the film Do The Right Thing. Many past recipients of this award also did not have a competitive Oscar.
Throughout his career, Cruise has been nominated for the award four times: twice for Best Actor (Born on the Fourth of July, Jerry Maguire), once for Best Supporting Actor (Magnolia), and once as a producer for Best Picture (Top Gun: Maverick).
The actor shared that he fell in love with cinema as a child when he first saw a bright stream of light on screen, "making the world much larger than he knew."
Academy President Janet Yang, announcing the nominees, noted Cruise's "incredible dedication to the cinematic community, the theatrical experience, and the stunt industry."
The Honorary Oscar (Academy Honorary Award) is a special award from the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, given not for a specific film of the year, but for overall contribution to world cinema.
The award is presented for outstanding contributions to cinema throughout a career; for achievements that cannot be encompassed by regular nominations; for significant contributions to the development of the film industry, technologies, culture, or humanitarian efforts related to film.
Honorary Oscars have been awarded to:
actors (Charlie Chaplin, Kirk Douglas, Whoopi Goldberg),
directors (Akira Kurosawa, Stanley Donen),
composers, editors, production designers,
as well as those behind technical innovations and the development of cinema.
This award is often given to celebrities who have never won a competitive Oscar but are considered legends of the industry.
Honorary Oscars are traditionally presented at the Governors Awards ceremony, a separate event of the Academy that takes place several months before the main ceremony.
