Watch ‘Iron Man’ Star Jeff Bridges’ Golden Globes Acceptance Speech for Cecil B. DeMille Award

Iron Man star Jeff Bridges, who played industrialist-turned-supervillain Obadaiah Stane in the 2008 blockbuster, was awarded the Cecil B. DeMille Award at Sunday’s 76th Annual Golden Globes, awarded for “outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment.”

Bridges was introduced by Hell or High Water co-star Chris Pine and The Big Lebowski co-star Sam Elliott, whose famous drawl narrated an introductory video highlighting Bridges’ 60-plus-year career.

After thanking the Hollywood Foreign Press Assocation and wife of 45 years Sue, Bridges thanked brother Beau and sister Cindy as well as his team of representatives David Schiff, Rick Kurtzman, Jean Sievers, Bob Wallerstein and Liz Dalling.

“You know who I gotta mention is Loyd Catlett. He’s my stand-in. We’ve done close to 70 films together. Can you believe that?” Bridges said. “He’s the thread through the whole deal, starting from [1971’s] [The] Last Picture Show.”

Bridges then thanked The Last Picture Show director Peter Bogdanovich, “who kicked the whole party off for me, man,” as well as Big Lebowski filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen, who created Bridges’ most iconic character The Dude.

“If I’m lucky, I’ll be associated with the Dude for the rest of my life. I feel so honored to be a part of that film,” Bridges said. “Great movie.”

Bridges also paid credit to The Fabulous Baker Boys screenwriter Steve Kloves and Crazy Heart director Scott Cooper, before remembering “the late, great” Thunderbolt and Lightfoot director Michael Cimino.

“I can remember going into his office the day before we started shooting, and I said to Mike, ‘Man, I’m so sorry, but I think you made a terrible mistake. I’m not feeling this guy at all. I feel so inadequate. I’m giving you late notice, I know, but please fire me,’” Bridges recounted.

“He looked at me and said, ‘Jeff, you know the game tag?’ I say, ‘Yeah.’ He says, ‘You’re it.’ I say, ‘What do you mean I’m it?’ He says, ‘You are the guy. You couldn’t make a mistake if you wanted to. You know, the life of this character is coming through you. It’s a done deal.’ I say, ‘Oh, alright. That’s a wonderful vote of confidence and a great perspective to look at this thing.’”

Being “in the life of the movies,” Bridges said, allowed him to “look through my life through the filter of movies,” before noting “all of us are trim tabs” capable of affecting society.

“We might seem like we’re not up to the task, but we are, man. We’re alive! We can make a difference! We can turn this ship in the way we wanna go, man! Towards love, creating a healthy planet for all of us,” Bridges said.

“So I wanna thank the Hollywood Foreign Press for tagging me, and I wanna tag you all. You’re all trim tabs. Tag, you’re it! Thank you!”