No one likes a try hard – or do they? People who put in the extra effort to excel have stereotypically been painted as bootlickers, nerds and nuisances who show the rest of us up. But it seems 2025 Awards acceptance speech is turning the tide online.

Taking to the stage to accept the award for ‘r’ for his role as , Timothée openly expressed his desire to be “one of the greats.” The 29-year-old actor said told the audience: “I know the classiest thing would be to downplay the effort that went into this role and how much this means to me. But the truth is this was five and a half years of my life. I poured everything I had into playing this incomparable artist, Mr Bob Dylan.”

He then thanked the rest of the cast and studio before continuing: “The truth is, I’m really in the pursuit of greatness. I know people don’t usually talk like that, but I want to be one of the greats. I’m inspired by the greats.”

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He proceeded to list critically acclaimed artists like Daniel Day Lewis, Marlon Brando and Viola Davis, alongside major sports stars Michael Jordan and Michael Phelps as his major inspirations.

The speech, which goes against the grain of actors expressing humility at awards shows, has resonated with Gen Z. “Being nonchalant is so OUTTT,” one user vehemently declared to the tune of over 7000 likes. "It was so refreshing to see someone talk about ambition, drive, hard work, passion. His speech was amazing," another wrote.

For a generation that values authenticity above all else, many found his ambitious speech refreshing. “I LOVE this honesty. So tired of fake humility lol. Tell us how bad you WANT THIS. He wants to be great, that’s part of the business. And I think he truly is one of the greats already,” one user said.

Over the past decade, there has been a trend among celebs to downplay their success. From Jennifer Lawrence’s cool girl act in the 2010s to Kieran Culkin’s “shocked” demeanour at his recent SAG ‘Best Supporting Actor’ win – despite having won several awards last year.

As one YouTube commenter, Nathan Zed, pointed out, this may stem from the pervasiveness of social media. The less openly ambitious you are, the less you can be mocked for failing online.

But more recently, there is a growing trend of stars openly putting effort into their work – and admitting to it. Female rap star Doechii recently brushed off criticism for her intricate performance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, which saw her singing with her braids woven into those of her backup dancers.

Last year, US athlete Michael Jordan was also commended for giving a viral speech in which he stated “obsession is gonna beat talent every single time.”