Moonlight’s Jharrel Jerome and Ashton Sanders won Best Kiss at the MTV Movie and TV Awards Sunday, beating out heavy kissers like La La Land’s Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling.
Sanders, 21, and Jerome, 19, were both shocked as they walked onstage to accept the award, but it was their speech that stood out even more.
“I really have to start with saying thank you to my parents,” said Jerome. “I love y’all so much. But on a real note, I think it is safe to say that it is OK for us young performers, especially us minority performers, to step out of the box. It’s OK for us to step out of the box and do whatever it takes to tell the story and whatever it takes to make the change.
“This award is for that,” he added. “It’s for us artists who are out there, who need to do whatever it takes to get people to wake up.”
Others nominated in the same category included Beauty and the Beast’s Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, Empire’s Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard, and Zac Efron and Anna Kendrick for Mike & Dave Need Wedding Dates.