Will Smith won the Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor for his role as Richard Williams in the film King Richard. In a tearful speech, Smith highlighted the win as “one of the greatest moments” of his career and touched on what it meant to portray Williams.
“Richard Williams is a dreamer like no one you’ve ever known,” said Smith. “He has a power of belief that borders on insanity and sometimes tips over the border, which is absolutely necessary to take something from impossible to possible.”
In the win, Smith won over Andrew Garfield, Benedict Cumberbatch, Javier Bardem, and Denzel Washington. Speaking with PEOPLE, Smith highlighted special words he received from Washington in the recent time they have spent together. “This is your year,” Smith said Washington, his mentor, told him.
“He just hugged me and he said, ‘I’m so happy for you. Just love who you’re becoming,'” Smith said. “He knew me years ago, I would go to Denzel for advice so he’s seen me through the years and he was just telling me how proud he is of who I’ve become and what I’ve become. He was saying that he felt like a weight was lifted off of his shoulders somehow.”
You can see Smith’s acceptance speech below.
