Actress Sarah Paulson won Best Actress in a TV Movie or Miniseries at the SAG Awards Sunday night and used her acceptance speech to encourage the audience and those watching at home to donate to the American Civil Liberties Union to help fund its efforts to combat President Donald Trump’s temporary immigration ban.
“This really means a lot to me because I feel like I wanted to be an actress in utero,” said Paulson, who won for her role as prosecutor Marcia Clark in FX’s acclaimed series The People vs. O.J. Simpson.
After thanking her co-stars and Clark personally, Paulson closed by asking the audience to donate what they could to the ACLU, which is working to fight the president’s executive action this weekend that temporarily barred immigration from some Middle Eastern countries.
“I would like to make a plea for everyone, if they can, any money they have to spare, please donate to the ACLU, to protect the rights and liberties of people across this country,” she said, to loud applause. “It’s a vital organization that relies entirely on our support, so please, if you can, thank you.”
Paulson was just one of many actors and actress at the star-studded awards ceremony Sunday night to get political in their acceptance speeches.
Ashton Kutcher kicked off the show with an enthusiastic pro-immigration statement, while Julia Louis-Dreyfus, William H. Macy, and Simon Hedberg were among the other stars to blast Trump over the executive order.
More to come as the SAG Awards are underway in Los Angeles.
Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum