Those of us who have been covering the award shows this season, until tonight, Forest Whitaker's acceptance speeches have been horrendous. So when he won, some of us were keeping our fingers crossed. He did a smart thing: he prepared a speech and read from it. Usually that is so terrible for for Whitaker, it was wonderful because he wrote a wonderful, thoughtful speech and delivered it with so much heart.
Backstage, he was just as thoughtful on a variety of topics including the diversity of this year's nominees from African-Americans to Mexicans to Spaniards and on and on: "it's an amazing statement. We have ti be connected as a planet. This year, you see people from all over the world...Stories that are reflecting the diversity of humanity. We have to pay attention and understand that I affect you and you affect me."