You know what Im talking about. An actor begins an acceptance speech by thanking their director and their agent, then suddenly segues into campaigning for climate change awareness.
It always seems well-intentioned, if not a little confusing, a little, how did we get here, again?
On Sunday, for example, film stars turned socio political/environmental pundits campaigned on a number of pressing global issues while picking up their Golden Globes.
To name a few: Cate Blanchett and Ellen DeGeneres mentioned the current fires in Australia, Michelle Williams a womans right to choose, Patricia Arquette spoke about the importance of voting, Joaquin Phoenix on taking more action than simply votingand that was all after host Ricky Gervais lambasted the crowd as hypocrites for working for giant corporations like Apple and Netflix.
Actors were ready to deliver a message and no amount of shaming from Gervais could deter them.
Phoenix, who collected a Golden Globe for Actor in a Drama Motion Picture for his raved-about titular role in Joker, has more of a leg to stand on than his almost annoyingly earnest cohort, Ill argue, and thats because hes a man of action, as his choice of clothing showed.
That night after Phoenix won his Golden Globe, Fashion designer Stella McCartney tweeted that she was the designer behind Phoenixs Globes tuxedo and that the actor would continue to wear the same suit for the rest of awards season, which will culminate with the Oscars in February.
This man is a winner wearing custom Stella because he chooses to make choices for the future of the planet. He has also chosen to wear this same Tux for the entire award season to reduce waste. I am proud to join forces with you... x Stella #JoaquinPhoenix #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/Ymbkl78ecN Stella McCartney (@StellaMcCartney)
Though many men wear the same tuxedo for an entire lifetime, its unheard of for an actor to do so for press appearances, especially of this career-defining gravitas.
McCartney, who herself has long produced and advocated for vegan clothing and accessories, said the award show recycling is intended to reduce waste.
Undeniably, the move is a gesture. Phoenixs limited award season wardrobe wont have much of an effect on the planet, but it was only recently that I learned of the ways in which clothing manufacturing is so detrimental to the environment, as I became more aware of how some companies are trying to lessen the impact , so Id say its a message worth spreading.
Phoenix is a lifelong vegan and animal rights activist, so his implorations for change ring a little more authentic than his fellow thespians. (The guy is even purportedly responsible for the vegan meal served at the Globes this year.)
So will this mark the start of more actionable declarations of actors beliefs at Hollywood events? Will Phoenix start a trend of wearing the same suit throughout awards season? Does this mean well see Jason Momoa in a tank top yet again?
We can only stay tuned to find out, but heres hoping Phoenix finds an eco-friendly dry cleaner to keep that tux fresh.