Celebitchy is our resident horror/thriller authority. My husband is a big fan of the genre too and I trade suggestions between them, but I can only watch some thrillers and very few horror films. I’m a little bit of a wimp, I’ll admit it. All of that is to say that I didn’t watch Bird Box. I know everyone else with a Netflix subscription did, but my friend described the book to me and I just knew it wasn’t something I’d be able to get through. But I know that Sandra Bullock was heralded for her performance. This was confirmed Sunday Night at the MTV Movie Awards when Sandra won Most Frightened Performance. What was surprising was not her victory, I’m sure the whole thing was terrifying, but the moving acceptance speech she gave, dedicating her performance to her children. Sandra wanted them to know that the lengths she went to in the film were the lengths a parent goes for their children:
Is it too late for Sandra Bullock to adopt me?! #MTVAwards pic.twitter.com/Qx6sUB9Xbx
— MTV (@MTV) June 18, 2019
Her speech:
I would first like to thank Netflix for allowing us to make an educational video on the horrors of parenting. But seriously, I made Bird Box because my children asked me why I never made anything for them. So when Bird Box crossed my path, I knew this was a story I needed to make, because it was about family.
When I finished the film I went to my babies and I said, “Here, Mommy made this for you. And even though you can’t see it until you’re 21 because, apparently, a movie about being a mommy is a horror film, you will know when you see it that there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you. I wanted you to see what being a family looks like, that sometimes you’re born into a family, sometimes you need to go find it, sometimes it finds you. But no matter how it comes together, that when it does, family is what you fight for, family is what you protect and what you saw in that movie is what your mommy would do for you. And I know that like in the movie, sometimes it looks like mommy is unraveling. But that’s probably because you have pushed her to that place. Because first time listening means listening for the first time, not the first time you decide to listen because that’s fifth time listening. But no matter what, you are my first thought in the morning, you are my last thought at night. I was put on this earth to protect you, you are my world, I love you so much, and I will move mountains to make sure that you are safe.”
And when I was finished, my son looked at me with his big, beautiful eyes, and he said, “Mommy, it was superhero movies I was talking about. Those are the films you should be making. Superheroes are the ones doing the important work right now.”
I grounded him.
So I would like to thank MTV and all of you who recognized my fear, thank you.
Because it allowed me to be here tonight and bring my Marvel-loving, DC-loving son with me so that he may stand in the same room with real superheroes like Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel. Trailblazers like Jada Pinkett Smith, and I’m sure he will notice that they’re women, just like his mama. Thank you.
It was expressly the kids in danger angle that kept me from watching the film in the first place. Like, I spend enough hours worrying about how to protect my and my friends kids, I couldn’t take on Sandra’s character’s baggage as well. So I appreciate what Sandra is saying here. I don’t know if this truly was her motivation for taking on the role, but I believe it was a large part of the motivation for her performance. So it probably did feel like a love letter to both Louis, nine, and Laila, seven. And even though this is a pretty extreme way to tell your children how much you love them, it’s also kind of beautiful.
There were moments that Sandra looked like she might be reading the speech but at the same time, it did feel off-the-cuff. I loved that she injected so much of her signature humor into it to help lighten the mood. I also love her closing remarks and looping the superheroes back to the women in the room. Men are heroes too, of course, but I just loved Sandra’s message.
Photo credit: Getty Images, Twitter and WENN Photos
I’m now so old and uncool that I don’t even know when the mtz awards are going to be on! Ha!
I know. How is MTV still a thing?
I know. My 3 teens have never watched it except a few times for the music awards. I don’t even know what channel it is on.
I love Sandra Bullock’s speech.
I don’t know why they even call it “MTV” any more. do they even show music videos anymore or is it all “Teen Mom” and other “reality” shows?
That center part is not doing her any favors.
I love that she is enjoying being a mom!
Center parts does NO one any favors…
NO ONE!!!!!!
I’ve always said the same!!! Argh!!
It only ever worked for Hedy Lamarr– movie star and scientific genius.
Totally teared up reading that. I love horror movies, but nothing with children. Ever since I had my son I have zero ability to turn from a child in distress, even if they’re acting or I know it’s fake. Not that I had a high threshold before, but I project my son now. I recently saw a woman who was clearly having an emotional conversation on a phone scream at her son who couldn’t have been older than 1.5 years to “shut the —- up”, yanking him up off the ground when he would bow down crying. He just stood there, crying hysterically, looking up at her. Probably wishing she would hold him,probably scared that she was upset. I wanted so badly to go hug him and explain what long term damage that could do, but I also know people don’t often react well when you call them out on parenting (and they’re already upset). I saw a police car in front of a coffee shop and begged them to check on the child and mother – this was happening literally in front of store on a busy street and both their screaming was echoing…it still makes me anxious. Of course I didn’t see the officers do anything and a coworker told me the child had stopped crying, but I still think about it, and how I would die before I saw my child so upset. I hope it was some moment of high stress that is totally out of the norm, but there’s something about having a child now (for me) that I immediately project his face.
Oh my gosh. I had such a similar experience 35 years ago in the ladies room of a Sears. A woman was yelling at her kids with a horrible tone like she was possessed. Not like exasperation but the visceral hatred in her voice. She was grabbing or hitting the little boy too. I didnt know what to do ( I was like 18 years old) and regret to this day I didn’t tell her to stop. I pacified myself by the explanation that if I interfered she would be worse to him but I don’t know. Really, I wasn’t sufficiently brave and I regret it so much.