‘The Last of Us’ actor Nick Offerman calls out ‘homophobic hate’ at Spirit Awards
Nick Offerman took aim at anyone who had an issue with his episode of “The Last of Us” during his acceptance speech at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Sunday night.
“Thanks to HBO for having the guts to participate in this storytelling tradition that is truly independent. Stories with guts that when homophobic hate comes my way and says, ‘Why did you have to make it a gay story?’ We say, ‘Because you ask questions like that,’” the 53-year-old actor said.
“It’s not a gay story, it’s a love story, you a–hole,” he added, taking home the award for Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series.
The former “Parks and Recreation” actor starred opposite Murray Bartlett in the episode titled “Long, Long Time,” which diverged from the show’s central plotline to tell the story of a 20-year relationship between Offerman and Bartlett’s characters.
The role also garnered Offerman an Emmy Award on Jan. 15, for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
His Sunday night speech drew strong applause and cheers from the Spirit Awards audience as he called for “more of that.”
The evening also featured big wins for “Past Lives,” “The Holdovers” and “American Fiction,” three movies which are up for Best Picture at the Academy Awards happening in March.
“Past Lives” was named best feature, while “The Holdovers” took home two acting awards for Dominic Sessa and Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s performances and the best cinematography award.
Meanwhile, “American Fiction” actor Jeffrey Wright received the Spirit Award for best lead performance in a film, and writer/director Cord Jefferson won for best screenplay.
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