Tom Cruise received an Honorary Oscar on November 16, and with also came a speech from the actor that sure clicked really well with everyone there, and his fans alike. His speech was moving not just because it was an iconic moment, but also because of everything he said.

Here’s all bout it.

Presenting the Oscar to Tom was none other than Alejandro G. Iñárritu, who is directing him in an untitled film, due for release in October 2026.

Tom’s speech was emotional because of the way he acknowledged everyone he had worked with, and of course, made sure to mention his fans too. He said, “The cinema takes me around the world. It helps me to appreciate and respect differences. It also shows me our shared humanity, how alike we are in so, so many ways. And no matter where we come from, in that theatre, we laugh together, we feel together, we hope together and that is the power of this art form.”

He concluded, “And that is why it matters, that is why it matters to me. So making films is not what I do, it is who I am.”

Well, truly, congratulations are in order, and rightly so!

Instagram/tomcruise

Further, Tom Cruise also went back all the way in time through his speech, and talked about the moment he fell in love with cinema. He said, “My love for cinema began at a very early age, as early as I can remember.” He also spoke about how being a theatre is another memory that he always returns to.

He spoke about the single beam of light in a dark theatre and how it “opened my imagination to the possibility that life could expand far beyond the boundaries that I then perceived in my own life.”

As put it by Cruise himself, he has been chasing that light ever since!

Cruise has had four Oscar nominations earlier for Born on the Fourth of July, Jerry Maguire, Magnolia, and Top Gun: Maverick (producer). This Honorary Oscar, however, truly gives him the place he deserves, among the big leagues.

Other special guests from last night include Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sydney Sweeney, Dwayne Johnson, and Emma Stone, among others.

Social media and lead image credits: Instagram/tomcruise