HOLLYWOOD, CA – “Tom doesn't make movies. He is movies.”

This is how Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu ended his speech presenting the honorary Oscar to Tom Cruise, “the biggest movie star in the world,” during the 16th Governors Awards held Sunday night at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Hollywood.

The 63-year-old actor was honored for his entire career alongside actress and choreographer Debbie Allen, and production designer Wynn Thomas. The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award was also presented to singer Dolly Parton for her humanitarian work, although she was the only honoree not present at the ceremony.

“Making movies isn't what I do, it's who I am,” Cruise declared in his acceptance speech, in which he asked everyone who had worked with him on any of his films to stand. In a room with just over 500 people, several dozen rose.

Nominated four times for an Oscar, the “Mission: Impossible” actor did not have the golden statuette in his collection of awards.

According to Gonzalez Inarritu, director of “Judy,” starring Cruise, this honorary award will not be his last Oscar. "Anyone who has worked with him knows that Tom is always present. He sees you, he hears you... and his enthusiasm is contagious," the filmmaker added. "I call him Tomas Cruz. He's Mexican," Gonzalez Inarritu joked after mentioning that the actor can eat more chili peppers than him or even Guillermo del Toro, who was also present in the room. A Night of Stars: The Governors Awards are considered the starting gun for awards season in Hollywood. Anyone hoping to be nominated in the coming months usually attends this gala to be seen and network with members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The list of celebrities was endless. Leonardo DiCaprio, Oscar Isaac, Dwayne Johnson, Michael B. Jordan, Hugh Jackman, and Rami Malek were among the actors present. Actresses such as Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Winslet, Elle Fanning, Emily Blunt, Ariana Grande, Tessa Thompson, and Sydney Sweeney were also in attendance.Mia Goth or Jennifer Lopez. Directors like Steven Spielberg, Edward Berger, or Ryan Coogler.

Although the cocktail party officially started at 5 pm,a quarter of an hour earlier some celebrities were already outside the Ray Dolby Ballroom, such as Marlee Matlin and Ethan Hawke, who was chatting quietly with some guests on a sofa. Another early arrival was composer Diane Warren, who received this same honorary Oscar in 2022.

The rain dampened the atmosphere of the cocktail hour, which was partially served outdoors. That didn't stop Elle Fanning from going to the bar to order a drink. Nor did it stop Oliver Laxe, the director of the surprising “Sirat,” Spain's candidate for Best International Feature Film, from taking the opportunity to chat with various guests.

The team from “Belen,” the film presented by Argentina, also made an appearance. Its director and star, Dolores Fonzi, was accompanied by Soledad Deza, the lawyer who defended the case recreated in the film.

Dolly Parton, the great absentee

Around 6:30 in the afternoon, the guests began to take their seats at the round tables that filled the same hall where the official after-party following the Oscars, the Governors Ball, is held.

The new president of the Academy, Lynette Howell Taylor, and actor Will Arnett gave the introductory speeches. But the real excitement began when actress Lily Tomlin presented the award to Dolly Parton.

Tomlin, 86, had trouble reading the teleprompter because she confessed she was seeing double. But she handled the situation gracefully and with the support of the audience, who gave her a standing ovation. In his speech, he recalled the singer's beginnings in film, noting that they appeared together on her first movie, "9 to 5" in 1980. "Dolly Parton is one of the few people left in this world whom everyone loves and respects," Tomlin said of Parton after praising her spirit of helping others and her humanitarian work, for which she was receiving the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. The 79-year-old country singer was not present at the ceremony, but a thank-you video was shown shortly after another summarizing her career and the philanthropic work of her foundation, dedicated especially to the education of underprivileged children. Octavia Spencer then presented the Honorary Oscar to production designer Wynn Thomas, "a pioneer who builds worlds from scratch that transports us to different eras and moments." Thomas, who has collaborated for 35 years with directors such as Spike Lee, was also honored. Lee is the “first Black production designer in film history,” Spencer asserted. “There's nothing better in the world than being celebrated by your community,” Thomas said after receiving his statuette.

The award for actress Debbie Allen was presented by Cynthia Erivo.

“Debbie Allen has never been and never will be denied,” Erivo declared after recounting how Allen was rejected early in her career for being “too Black.”

The actress and choreographer of “Fame” gave the most moving speech of the night—without a teleprompter, unlike Cruise.

After praising each of the other three honorees and giving Tom Cruise a standing ovation, she reviewed the people who had helped her in her life—including Bill Cosby. The last award presented was Cruise's, the great star for whom a montage of scenes from most of his films was shown, many of them among the highest-grossing films of recent decades. The actor promised to continue defending cinema: “I will always do everything I can for this art form, to help new voices, to protect what makes cinema powerful… and hopefully without many more broken bones.” New movie releases on Screens