“As you struggle to make your dreams happen, to live the impossible, we’re thinking of you tonight.”
WASHINGTON — Actor Jared Leto expressed his support for protesters in Ukraine and Venezuela during his acceptance speech for the Best Supporting Actor award at the Oscars on Sunday, making him the first celebrity at the event to acknowledge the two major events dominating world news right now.
"To all the dreamers out there around the world watching this tonight, in places like Ukraine and Venezuela, I want to say we are here, and as you struggle to make your dreams happen, to live the impossible, we're thinking of you tonight," Leto said.
In the press room backstage after accepting his award, Leto explained his decision to comment on Ukraine and Venezuela.
"We have a show in the Ukraine in a couple of weeks," said Leto, referring to his band 30 Seconds to Mars. "We have a show in Thailand in a few weeks. We had a show in Venezuela in the works. These world events affect us. It was important to address those things."
The Oscars are taking place as the Crimea region of Ukraine spirals into Crisis following a military incursion by Russia on the pretext of protecting Ukraine's Russian speakers. Russian president Viktor Yanukovych fled the country after pro-European protesters held sustained demonstrations in protest of his decision to draw his country closer to Russia.
Russian state TV network Channel One, which normally plays the Oscars live, is not showing them live this year — a move that Channel One said in a statement was intended to give the channel more space for Ukraine news, though it also has the effect of preventing Russian viewers from seeing moments like Leto's speech.
With reporting by Adam Vary.
LINK: A 35-Step Guide To Understanding Why Russia Decided To Follow The Olympics With A War
LINK: Everything You Need To Know About The Uprising In Venezuela
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