World Food Programme ‘Honoured’ By Tom Hiddleston’s Golden Globes Speech

After Tom Hiddleston’s Golden Globes speech, where he dedicated his prize to humanitarian workers, the United Nations World Food Programme has said that they are ‘honoured’ to have been included. The World Food Programme is the branch of the United Nations which offers food assistance to 80 million people in 75 countries each year and is the world’s largest humanitarian organization that actively promotes food security.

Actor @twhiddleston dedicates @goldenglobes prize to humanitarian workers. WFP is honoured to have been included ? https://t.co/7NdEsyahi8pic.twitter.com/dOfQyFqJ3M

— World Food Programme (@WFP) January 9, 2017

On Sunday, Tom Hiddleston gave a speech at the Golden Globe Awards after accepting the best actor award for his performance in The Night Manager and has since apologized for what he calls his “inelegantly expressed” words, according to the BBC.

In Tom Hiddleston’s Golden Globes speech, he described a visit that he had made when he saw medics from Doctors Without Borders in South Sudan while he was doing work for the United Nations Children’s Fund as a humanitarian spokesman. Hiddleston had quipped that some of the doctors had wanted to “say hello” to him because “during the shelling the previous month they had binge-watched The Night Manager.”

“The idea that I could provide some relief and entertainment for people who work for UNICEF and Médecins Sans Frontières and the World Food Programme who are fixing the world in the places where it was broken made me immensely proud.”

On social media like Twitter, there were a few responses to Hiddleston’s speech, such as one by the actor Joshua Malina, who tweeted, “Thank you to Tom Hiddleston and all actors who dare to perform in projects that are shown in some of the most dangerous parts of the world.”

However, Tom Hiddleston was quick to point out that his only intention in his Golden Globes speech had been to “salute” the “incredible bravery and courage” of the numerous medics and humanitarian workers who were risking their lives each day. Hiddleston admitted that he had been nervous during his speech at the Golden Globes, and his “words just came out wrong.”

Tom Hiddleston wrote on Facebook that he understood the criticism that he had received from his Golden Globes speech.

“I just wanted to say I completely agree that my speech at the Golden Globes last night was inelegantly expressed. In truth, I was very nervous, and my words just came out wrong. Sincerely, my only intention was to salute the incredible bravery and courage of the men and women who work so tirelessly for UNICEF UK, Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), and World Food Programme, and the children of South Sudan, who continue to find hope and joy in the most difficult conditions. I apologise that my nerves got the better of me.”

Tom Hiddleston’s Golden Globes win was one of three for The Night Manager, which also saw best supporting actor awards for Hugh Laurie and Olivia Colman. Ms. Colman was not in the audience that night, but stated that she felt “gutted” to have not been in Los Angeles to have accepted “such an enormous honour.”

While there are other artists and celebrities who serve as the face of goodwill organizations, the Golden Globes speech that Tom Hiddleston gave highlighted important issues around the world and served to show how many dedicated individuals are involved in helping. At the start of December, Hiddleston had tweeted that he had just come back from South Sudan again and remarked that innocent children were still “bearing the brunt” of conflict there.

Just back from South Sudan with @Unicef_Uk to see how innocent children are still bearing the brunt of the conflict 3 years since it began. pic.twitter.com/y0v3sx8acF

— Tom Hiddleston (@twhiddleston) December 1, 2016

Do you think it is important that other actors, artists, and celebrities speak up about issues in order to make people aware of the conflicts currently happening around the world? Should public figures be more involved in helping the numerous humanitarian organizations like the World Food Programme, who are working to make things better? What did you think of Tom Hiddleston’s Golden Globes speech?

[Featured Image by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images]