Tom Cruise Delivers Emotional Speech at Governors Awards, Watch the Video

Tom Cruise brought down the house at the Governors Awards Sunday night, delivering an emotional acceptance speech about the very thing he does best -- making movies!

The iconic actor was given an Honorary Oscar during the show at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Hollywood by Alejandro G. Iñárritu ... who happens to be directing Tom in his next film, an untitled project slated to be released in October 2026.

When Tom stepped onstage, he gave Iñárritu a huge hug and soaked in the rousing applause from the celeb-studded crowd before launching into his speech.

Tom kicked it all off by thanking some of his biggest film inspirations, including Dolly Parton and Debbie Allen. He then pivoted to his love for cinema from an early age, which opened his eyes and imagination to the possibility that life could expand beyond his own little world.

He also touched upon how cinema takes him around the globe, helping him appreciate and respect our differences from other cultures, while showing our shared humanity and "how alike we are in so, so many ways."

Tom went on ... "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.”

Some of Hollywood's biggest names were there to see the big speech ... Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lopez, Kristen Stewart, Cynthia Erivo, Sydney Sweeney, Ariana Grande, Dwayne Johnson, Michael B. Jordan, Natalie Portman, Jennifer Lawrence, Austin Butler, and Jacob Elordi.