Robert De Niro Calls Out ‘Abuse of Power’ in Blistering SAG Awards Speech

There's a long-standing tradition of celebrities bringing up political issues at awards shows, one that ranges from the successful (think Michelle Williams's barnburner of a speech about reproductive rights at the 2020 Golden Globes) to the not-so-great (think Ricky Gervais hosting the Golden Globes in literally any year.)

At the 26th annual Screen Actors Guild awards on Sunday night, actor Robert de Niro became the 56th recipient of the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, and he took the opportunity to address some of the most pressing issues in society today, from reproductive rights to union power. It was a rare instance of a powerful man using his platform to shift the focus from himself and say something real. Read the political portion of de Niro's speech below:

“I thank SAG/AFTRA for tirelessly fighting on our behalf for workplace and economic gains and respect. And that especially bears remembering these days, when there's so much hostility toward unions. Political leaders who support unions are more likely to support the Affordable Care Act, equitable taxes, humane immigration regulations, a safe environment, a diverse citizenry, reproductive rights, sensible gun control, and fair wages and benefits. We owe them our support and we owe them our vote.

I can imagine that some of you are saying, all right, all right, let's not get into the politics and all that stuff. But we're in such a dire situation that is so deeply concerning to me and so many others, I have to say something. And I thought I said it pretty well to Variety the other day, so I'm going to quote myself. There's right and there's wrong, and there's common sense and there's abuse of power. And as a citizen, I have as much right as anybody—an actor, an athlete, a musician, anybody else—to voice my opinion, and if I have a bigger voice because of my situation, I'm going to use it whenever I see a blatant abuse of power."

Of course, de Niro doesn't just talk the talk, having spent years advocating for everything from AIDS research to disaster relief; he famously took the stage at the 2018 Tony Awards by saying, “I’m gonna say one thing. Fuck Trump.” It's still powerful, though, to hear him devote a major milestone in his career to fighting against "abuse of power," a problem that's all too real, in Hollywood and beyond.

See All of the Celebrity Looks From the Screen Actors Guild Awards 2020 Red Carpet: