Adam Sandler just walked away with the Best Male Lead prize at the 2020 Spirit Awards. And his acceptance speech was very on brand.
The 53-year-old actor secured the award for Uncut Gems, in which he portrayed the gambling-addicted New York jeweler Howard Ratner. Though the A24 film had generated serious awards season buzz, it was ultimately snubbed by the Academy—failing to secure a single nomination at this year's Oscars. Sandler addressed this detail during his Spirit Awards speech, comparing the snub to the time he lost "Best Looking" in high school.
“A few weeks back, when I was quote, unquote 'snubbed' by the Academy, it reminded me when I briefly attended high school and was overlooked for the coveted year book superlative Best Looking," he told the crowd. "That actually was given to a jean jacket-wearing featherhead douchebag by the name of Skipper Jenkins. But my classmates did honor me with the allegedly less prestigious designation of Best Personality. And tonight, as I look around this room, I realize the Independent Spirit Awards are the Best Personality awards of Hollywood. So, let all those featherhead douchebag motherfuckers get their Oscars tomorrow night. Their handsome good looks will fade in time, while our independent personalities will shine on forever!"
The crowd cheered and laughed throughout the speech. Sandler, who had never received a Spirit Award nomination prior to Uncut Gems, beat out Chris Galust for Give Me Liberty, Kelvin Harrison Jr. for Luce, Robert Pattinson for The Lighthouse, and Matthias Schoenaerts The Mustang.
"I liked to also give a shout out to my fellow nominees who will now and forever be known as the guys to lost to motherfucking Adam Sandler," he said while on stage.
You can check out Sandler's full acceptance speech above.
Uncut Gems was a big winner at this year's Spirit Awards, nabbing Best Director (Josh Safdie and Benny Safdie) and Best Editing (Ronald Bronstein and Benny Safdie). It had also earned nominations in the Best Screenplay and Best Feature categories, but ended up losing to Marriage Story and The Farewell, respectively.
