Renée Zellweger Honors ‘Courageous Men and Women in Uniform’ in Oscars Speech

Renee Zellweger, winner of the award for best performance by an actress in a leading role
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
John Binder

Actress Renée Zellweger honored American military service members in her acceptance speech for Best Actress at the 92nd Academy Awards — a fierce contrast to the partisan speeches by Joaquin Phoenix and Brad Pitt at the Oscars award’s ceremony.

While accepting Best Actress for her role as iconic performer Judy Garland in Judy, Renee Zellweger thanked American icons like Neil Armstrong, Harriet Tubman, and Fred Rogers, as well as thanking the American military for their “courageous” duty.

“Thank you to the Academy. Thank you for inviting me here alongside one of the most special collaborations and meaningful experiences of my life,” Zellweger said.

“My immigrant folks, who came here with nothing but each other and a belief in the American dream, how about this? Thank you to you,” Zellweger continued.

“And I have to say that this past year of conversations of celebrating Judy Garland across generations and across cultures has been a really cool reminder that our heroes unite us — the best among us who inspire us to find the best in ourselves. They unite us,” Zellweger said.

“When we look to our heroes, we agree. And that matters. Neil Armstrong, Sally Ride, Dolores Huerta, Venus, and Serena, and Selena, Bob Dylan, Scorsese, Fred Rogers, Harriet Tubman, we agree on our teachers,” Zellweger said. “And we agree on our courageous men and women in uniform who serve. And we agree on our first responders and firefighters. When we celebrate our heroes, we’re reminded of who we are as one people, united.”

In a direct tribute to Garland, who was snubbed for a Best Actress award in 1955 when the Academy awarded Grace Kelly the honor for her role in The Country Girl, Zellweger said she is “certain that this moment is an extension of the celebration of her legacy that began on our film set.”

“[Garland’s] legacy of unique exceptionalism and inclusivity and generosity of spirit, it transcends any one artistic achievement,” Zellweger said. “Ms. Garland, you are certainly among the heroes who unite and define and this is certainly for you. I am so grateful. Thank you so much, everybody.”

This is Zellweger’s second Oscar. Her first Oscar was won in 2004 for her role as Ruby Thewes in Cold Mountain.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.

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