Meryl Streep Claims Diversity at the Golden Globes

"Thank you Hollywood Foreign Press. To follow the line of what Hugh Laurie said, we, all present, belong to a denigrated segment of the population. Think about it: Hollywood. Foreign. And the press. But who are we? What is Hollywood? It's a group of people coming from all sides. I was born, raised, and educated in New Jersey schools. Viola was born in a cabin in South Carolina and grew up in Central Falls. Sarah Paulson was born in Florida and raised by her single mom in Brooklyn. Sarah Jessica Parker was one of seven or eight children in Ohio. Amy Adams was born in Italy and Natalie Portman in Jerusalem. Where are your birth certificates? And the beautiful Ruth Negga was born in Ethiopia, grew up in London. No, in Ireland, I think. It is here nominated for playing the role of a girl from a village in Virginia. Ryan Gosling, like all kind people, is Canadian. And Dev Patel was born in Kenya, grew up in London, and is here for playing the role of an Indian living in Tasmania ...

So Hollywood is full of foreigners and outsiders, and if they want to kick us out they are going to be left with nothing to do but soccer and mixed martial arts that are NOT the arts ... I was given three seconds to say this ... The only work of an actor is getting into the lives of people who are different from us and letting you feel what that feels like. And there were many powerful performances this year that did just that. An amazing and compassionate job. But there was a performance this year that shocked me, put his hooks in my heart. Not because she was good, she had nothing good, but she was effective and did her job. He made his audience laugh and show his teeth.

It was at that moment that the person who was asked to sit in the most respectable seat in our country, imitated a disabled reporter. Someone who excelled in privilege, power and the ability to defend himself. That broke my heart. I still can not get it out of my head because it was not a movie. It was real life.

And that instinct to humiliate, when it is modeled by someone on the public platform, by someone powerful, seeps into the life of everyone, because as it gives permission for other people to do the same.

The lack of respect invites to the lack of respect. Violence incites more violence. When the powerful use their position to abuse others, we all lose ...

Ok, this brings me to the press. We need the main press to hold them accountable for every atrocity they make. That is why the founders of our country used the constitution to protect the press and their freedoms. So I just want to ask the Hollywood Foreign Press and everyone in this community to come together and support me on the committee to protect journalists. Because we're going to need them to move on, and they're going to need us to safeguard the truth.

One more thing. One time, I was on a set complaining about something, overtime, or something. Tommy Lee Jones told me, "Is not it a privilege, Meryl, just to be an actor?" Yes, it is. And we need to remind each other of the privilege and responsibility of the act of empathy. We should be proud of the work Hollywood honors tonight.

As my dear friend, the recently deceased Princess Leia, once told me: "Take your broken heart and turn it into art. Thank you".