Jonathan Majors was filled with emotion when he recently won the Perseverance Award at Hollywood Unlocked's Impact Awards.
On Friday, Majors was honored by Hollywood Unlocked at their fourth annual Impact Awards for his dedication to inspiring others in the face of adversity. During his speech, Majors tearfully accepted the award while recalling his tough year in a 17-minute-long dialogue.
Last April, Majors was found guilty of two misdemeanor counts of assault and harassment regarding a physical altercation with his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari. He was sentenced to a year-long domestic violence intervention program and was dropped from several upcoming projects, including his role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
"As a Black man in the criminal justice system, I felt anger, I felt sadness, hurt, surprise. When they snatched me up out of my apartment in handcuffs, I didn't feel like all that," the actor said. "I didn't feel like Jonathan Majors, Mr. Creed, Mr. Kang; I felt like a little scared, weak boy, despite the support and evidence that was in my favor, I knew shit was bad. And it was bad because of who I was and what I am. This is what happens to Black people all too often."
He added, in regards to the word “perseverance,” "the God I serve has put me in a position where I've had to embody that word more than I wished or wanted to. We live in a world where men, Black men in particular, are propped up as either superheroes or super villains."
Majors revealed several high-profile celebrities supported him throughout the ordeal, including Will Smith, Tyler Perry, David Oyelowo, Whoopi Goldberg, and more. He also highlighted the women in his life, such as his mother and his girlfriend Megan Good. To close his speech, Majors claimed the award meant he had the responsibility of being there for people and helping them through their troubling situations.
"I command myself to be shoulders to our community, to my queen, to our industry, to our culture. And just to Ella, my baby girl, we're gonna be alright, your father loves you. I love y'all, I thank you for this. To be in this room with these great entertainers, these great Black artists, woo. Ain't no place like home," he said.
Majors’ award comes after news broke that he received his first acting role since being convicted in his trial. The new project, Merciless, tells the story of a CIA interrogator who is forced to defeat an evil force that has taken over the woman he loves.
