Governors Awards Red Carpet Photos: Sydney Sweeney, Chase Infiniti, Kristen Stewart and More A-listers galore hit Hollywood on Sunday at the annual pre-Oscars event

Tom Cruise was presented with an Academy Honorary Award during the Nov. 16 Governors Awards, and it’s no surprise that the larger-than-life movie star had a blockbuster acceptance speech.

The award was presented by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, who is directing Cruise in an upcoming, as-yet-untitled film set to be released in October 2026.

Upon accepting the award, Cruise gave an emotional speech paying tribute to all of the people who make films possible, as well as the unifying power of cinema.

“The cinema, it takes me around the world,” Cruise said. “It helps me to appreciate and respect differences. It shows me also our shared humanity, how alike we are in so, so many ways. And no matter where we come from, in that theater, we laugh together, we feel together, we hope together, and that is the power of this art form. And that is why it matters, that is why it matters to me. So making films is not what I do, it is who I am.”

Cruise also spoke about the genesis of his film fandom.

“My love for cinema began at a very early age, as early as I can remember,” he said. “I was just a little kid in a darkened theater, and I remember that beam of light just cut across the room, and I remember looking up, and it seemed to be just exploded on the screen. Suddenly, the world was so much larger than the one that I knew. And entire cultures and lives and landscapes all unfolded in front of me, and it sparked something. It sparked a hunger for adventure, a hunger for knowledge, a hunger to understand humanity, to create characters, to tell a story, to see the world. It opened my eyes. It opened my imagination to the possibility that life could expand far beyond the boundaries that I then perceived in my own life. And that beam of light opened a desire to open the world, and I have been following it ever since.”

Cruise has been nominated for four Oscars in the past: Best Actor for “Born on the Fourth of July” and “Jerry Maguire,” best supporting actor for “Magnolia” and best picture for his role as a producer on “Top Gun: Maverick.”

Earlier in the ceremony, Cynthia Erivo presented choreographer Debbie Allen with an honorary Oscar. Production designer Wynn Thomas also received a statue celebrating his lifetime of work. The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award was presented to Dolly Parton, who wasn’t able to attend the show in person because of health concerns, so she sent a pre-taped speech.

The Governors Awards red carpet drew scores of actors eager to join the awards season race this year, including Jennifer Lawrence, Michael B. Jordan, Sydney Sweeney, Leonardo DiCaprio, Dwayne Johnson, Emma Stone and many more.

Watch some of Cruise’s speech below.

Stars came out in full force on Sunday night at the 16th Governors Awards, where everyone from Leonardo DiCaprio to Jennifer Lopez to Kristen Stewart to Cynthia Erivo dressed to the nines to celebrate the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Board of Governors honorees.

Tom Cruise, Debbie Allen, and Wynn Thomas were presented with honorary Oscars at the Ray Dolby Ballroom, while Dolly Parton received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

The Governors Awards red carpet was an A-list event, with the likes of Sydney Sweeney, Ariana Grande, Dwayne Johnson, Elle Fanning, Michael B. Jordan, Natalie Portman, Jennifer Lawrence, Jonathan Bailey, Hailee Steinfeld, and Austin Butler turning out. Plus filmmakers like Celine Song, Noah Baumbach, Rian Johnson, and Chloe Zhao.

It was also a hot spot for the cast and filmmakers from this year’s biggest Oscar contenders: The “Frankenstein” crew of Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi and Mia Goth were there, as was the “One Battle After Another” cast of DiCaprio, Teyona Taylor, Regina Hall, Chase Infiniti and Benicio del Toro, plus “The Smashing Machine” trio Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt and Benny Safdie.

Check out our 2025 Governors Awards red carpet gallery below.