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Sunday night, at the Screen Actor’s Guild Awards, numerous actors pushed back against President Trump’s xenophobic agenda in their acceptance speeches. Veep’s Julia Louis-Dreyfus called the Muslim ban “un-American,” Moonlight’s Mahershala Ali spoke out against the persecution of minorities, and Orange is the New Black’s Taylor Schilling called attention to the importance of diversity. But the most rousing speech came from Stranger Things’ David Harbour.
Harbour, who plays Police Chief Jim Hopper on the Spielberg-esque sci-fi show set in 1983 Indiana, spoke for the cast while accepting the award for Outstanding Performance By an an Ensemble in a Drama Series. The actor cleverly weaved in the themes of his show to to push back against Trump’s divisive agenda. “We 1983 Midwesterners will repel bullies, we will shelter freaks and outcasts, those who have no hope. We will get past the lies,” Harbour said.
Here’s an excerpt from his speech:
We will repel bullies, we will shelter freaks and outcasts, those who have no homes. We will get past the lies, we will hunt monsters and when we are lost amidst the hypocrisy and the casual violence of certain individuals and institutions, we will, as per chief Jim Hopper, punch some people in the face, when they seek to destroy the meek, and the disenfranchised, and the marginalized, and we will do it all with soul, with heart and with joy.
The speech also caused a stir because of Stranger Things co-star Winona Ryder’s reaction to it. As she stood next to Harbour, Ryder pumped her fist as her facial expressions rapidly shifted between shock, excitement, and discomfort all in the matter of two minutes.
Of course, Twitter had a field day with it:
