Sunday evening’s installment of the Critics’ Choice Awards came and went without much fanfare. However, one shining moment stood out, and naturally, it involved Ryan Reynolds, who picked up awards for Best Actor in a Comedy (for Deadpool) and Entertainer of the Year. The latter honor was presented on behalf of both Entertainment Weekly and host channel A&E, and Reynolds’ acceptance speech was marvelous.
The man who embodied the Merc with a Mouth generally jokes around at every opportunity, but this speech took a largely serious tone. He dedicated his award to two non-profit hospitals that treat kids with cancer, along with two children who recently passed away from the disease:
“The character had cancer and some of the people that this character resonated with was sick kids. So I would like to dedicate this honor to the Make-a-Wish Foundation and the SickKids Foundation of Toronto, two incredible organizations that do so much for so many kids in need. And I’d also like to dedicate this award to the memory of my friends, Conor McGrath and Grace Bowen. They didn’t lose the battle. They started a fight and it’s up to us to finish it.”
Reynolds did inject a little humor at the end of his speech by referring to Deadpool as a “sex-positive superhero” who enjoyed “running around in a big red body condom in the midst of a highly militarized shame spiral.” Because of course he did, and it’s all true!