Award shows are often an opportunity for actors and artists to take a moment to thank the people who helped make their achievements possible. But they're also a platform for them to air their political and social views in front of a captive audience.
One performer who isn't too shy about using a speech to make a point is Bryan Cranston. Cranston delivered plenty of searing speeches as Walter White on Breaking Bad, and he's already portrayed the writer Dalton Trumbo in the eponymous McCarthy-era biopic.
But last night, as he accepted the prize for Best Lead Actor at the Tonys, Cranston seemingly took the opportunity to launch a thinly-veiled attack on Donald Trump.
Check out Bryan Cranston's Tonys speech below:In an emotional speech made to the assembled audience, Cranston stated: "Howard Beale is a fictitious TV newsman who found his way in the line of fire because of his pursuit of the truth.
"I would like to dedicate this to all of the real journalists around the world, both in the press, the print media, and also the broadcast media, who actually are in the line of fire with their pursuit of the truth. The media is not the enemy of the people. Demagoguery is the enemy of the people."
Many people have taken this speech to be directed towards President Trump: who has often been accused of demagoguery by his critics and has often had a somewhat hostile relationship with the media.
The actor won the award for the playing the character of Howard Beale in the Broadway adaptation of the Oscar-winning satirical movie Network. Cranston plays a character who suffers from a profound mental breakdown and inadvertently becomes a ratings hit.
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