Dry those tears! Terrence Howard got really, really emotional while giving presentations about Best Picture nominees Whiplash, The Imitation Game, and Selma at the 87th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 22. Not only did he stop to gather his thoughts several times, but he even knocked into the mic.
The Empire actor, 45, first spoke passionately about J.K. Simmons‘ and Miles Teller’s drama Whiplash. (Simmons won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his work.)
“How far would you go to find the greatness in themselves? Whiplash — this film about a young musician desperately trying to please his ruthless teacher is a thrilling symphony that is both — it’s mind-blowing,” he said, sighing.
Howard’s intense speech, however, became even more odd when he discussed Benedict Cumberbatch’s The Imitation Game. His speech appeared to drag on and he bumped into his mic as the camera panned to Cumberbatch’s costar Keira Knightley.
“Our next film is amazing. I’m blown away right now myself,” he said, with a long pause. “Our next nominee for Best Picture reveals how the visionary father of modern computing Alan Turing helps defeat the Nazis only to have his own greatness stripped away from him for his sexual orientation.”
Luckily, he appeared to pull himself together by the time he gushed about the Ava DuVernay-directed film Selma based on Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life.
Watch the video above.
