DiCaprio talks climate, ‘Revenant’ at SAG Foundation ’versary – Hanks honored with Trailblazer Award

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LOS ANGELES, Nov 7, (RTRS): The SAG Foundation, the nonprofit arm of SAG-AFTRA, toasted its 30th anniversary with a starry celebration at the Wallis Annenberg Center in Beverly Hills Thursday night, and honoree Leonardo DiCaprio took time to talk about his charitable work.

DiCaprio was receiving the SAG Foundation’s Actors Inspiration Award for his work both onscreen and off, including his philanthropic efforts as chairman of the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, which raises awareness of both climate change and the need to protect biodiversity. He was introduced by his “Shutter Island” co-star Mark Ruffalo, who said of filming the 2010 movie, “I found myself on a deserted island with Leonardo DiCaprio … It’s not as sexy as it sounds”.

Ruffalo also had some fun with DiCaprio’s history at the Oscars. As he presented the award, Ruffalo got big laughs by saying, “I’m delighted to finally present the Acad— ah, Actors Inspiration Award — to a wonderful up-and-comer, Leonardo DiCaprio”.

In actuality, DiCaprio’s appearance and the overall evening felt less like a campaign stop than a sincere and heartfelt occasion for artists to speak from the heart. The only time DiCaprio referenced his upcoming film “The Revenant” was to discuss climate change — DiCaprio revealed he’s been “going around the world shooting a documentary on climate change and how this is hastening the fate of life on earth as we know it”.

Turbulent

Said DiCaprio, “While shooting ‘The Revenant,’ our team endured two unprecedented weather events that shut down the already delayed and complicated production schedule, which I’m sure you’ve heard about. Turbulent and disruptive weather events are happening all over the world and are causing irreparable damage. 2015 has literally become the tipping point for climatic instability and it’s incredibly scary”.

DiCaprio also spoke eloquently about his passion for the craft. “I truly do love doing what I do”, he said. “And I know that being a working actor is an honor and privilege, one which many people do not have the opportunity to realize. I do know how lucky I’ve been”.

The entire evening had a much more cordial feel than a typical awards ceremony; as SAG Foundation board president JoBeth Williams said in her opening remarks, “Now we’re 30 and we’re giving ourselves a big party. But it is more than just a pat on the back for ourselves, it’s to show you what we do”.

Videos throughout the night detailed the different ways SAG Foundation has given back to its members, through workshops, educational programs and emergency assistance. One of the most touching videos featured Steve Carell speaking about actor Joe Narciso, who received assistance from the foundation that helped with operations when he developed Parkinson’s disease. (Carell and Narciso co-starred together in a series of FedEx commercials.)

The other big news out of the evening was that SAG Foundation would be changing its name, to reflect its membership since the union merged with AFTRA. First vice president of SAG Foundation Pamela Reed revealed that the name would be changing to SAG-AFTRA Foundation.

Also honored at the event were Lee Daniels, Megan Ellison and Rob Marshall, all of whom were on hand to receive a Patron of the Artists Award. The evening included musical performances by Cheyenne Jackson, who closed with “Stand By Me”, Darren Criss performing “There’s No Business Like Show Business”, and “Scandal” star Bellamy Young, who wowed the crowd with her rendition of “Nobody Does It Better” at about the same time her TGIT show was starting to air on the West Coast.

When Tom Hanks accepted his Trailblazer Award at the Legacy Awards, presented by Outfest, the actor warmed the room with hoots and hollers at Vibiana in downtown Los Angeles.

“How appropriate for this event to be held in a church because I am now going to preach to the choir”, Hanks announced.

The organization, which advocates for equality by producing, promoting and preserving LGBT stories on screen, honored the actor for playing a homosexual man who was wrongly terminated because of his AIDS diagnosis in the 1993 drama “Philadelphia”. Hanks told Variety on the red carpet that his Oscar-winning performance in the feature was a little late in telling a story that had already impacted so many.

“We were just trying to catch up a little bit in the mainstream marketplace with something that had been going on ten years prior”, he explained. “We were late. We weren’t chicken, but we were tardy”.

Host Whitney Cummings made a wisecrack earlier in the evening that made his performance in “Castaway” also appear LGBT-centric.

“Tom Hanks has made numerous contributions to LGBT cinema over the years,” Cummings spoke. “In ‘Castaway,’ he transitioned into a woman: he starved himself, he screamed a lot and he had an intimate relationship with an inanimate object”.

Also feted at the event was “Olive Kitteridge” and “The Kids Are All Right” director Lisa Cholodenko. Upon accepting the Visionary Award, she confessed to the crowd that she never viewed herself as such.

“I didn’t set out to be a filmmaker or push my political point of view,” she began. “I wanted to use storytelling to elevate cultural conversation”.

One thing that differed from last year’s gala was obvious: the legalization of gay marriage. Legacy Awards co-chair and “Scandal” star Dan Bucatinsky said that cinema and television will always be ahead of its time.

“My character got married even before the Supreme Court decision came through, but I think it was a huge validation”, said Bucatinsky. “It only makes television try to jump ahead of the curve a little more”.

Cummings flashed her underwear during the auction to raise a bidding war, although she had earlier joked that the room was finally filled with gentleman whom she hadn’t slept with. Auction items included trips to various destinations around the world: San Francisco, Napa Valley, Mexico, Shanghai and Paris.

Attendees included Aaron Eckhart, who presented the award to “Sully” co-star Hanks, “Project Greenlight’s” Effie Brown and Linda Perry, who performed a cover of the theme song to “Philadelphia”.

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