Sebastian Stan called for "ignorance and discomfort" surrounding "disability and disfigurement" to end "now" as he picked up his first Golden Globe Award on Sunday (05.01.25).
The 42-year-old actor was honoured with the Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy accolade for his work on 'A Different Man' - in which he plays an aspiring actor with neurofibromatosis, a genetic condition that causes tumours to grow on the skin and bone - and pledged to share the accolade with co-star Adam Pearson, who has the condition in real life, and director Aaron Schimberg.
Speaking on stage at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, he said: “Aaron Schimberg and Adam Pearson at home, I wish you were here. I share this with you. Thank you for your trust.
“Our ignorance and discomfort around disability and disfigurement has to end now. We have to normalise it and continue to expose ourselves [and our children] to it. Encourage acceptance. One way we can do that is by continuing to champion stories that are inclusive.”
Sebastian - who was nominated alongside Jesse Eisenberg ('A Real Pain'), Hugh Grant ('Heretic'), Gabrielle LaBelle ('Saturday Night'), Jesse Plemons ('Kinds of Kindness'), and Glen Powell ('Hit Man') - noted both 'A Different Man' and his other recent work, Donald Trump biopic 'The Apprentice' were not "easy" movies to make but brought something "necessary" to the world.
He said: “This was not an easy movie to make. Neither is ‘The Apprentice,’ the other film that I was lucky to be a part of and that I am proud to be in.
“These are tough subject matters, but these films are real and they are necessary. We can’t be afraid and look away.”
The actor went on to thank his team, before giving a shotout to girlfriend Annabelle Wallis, and his mom and stepfather.
He said: "Annabelle, I love you.
"This is for my mom, who left Romania in search of a better life, gave me everything, and for my stepfather, Tony, who took on a single mom and a grown-up kid. Thank you for being a real man."
