Actress Lupita Nyong’o and actor Kumail Nanjiani gave a shoutout to DREAMers during the 2018 Academy Awards.
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The pair were called onto stage by host Jimmy Kimmel to present the award for Achievement in Production Design.
The actors joked about having names that are difficult to pronounce as a segue to discuss their status as immigrants and their support for DREAMers.
“Good evening, we are the two actors you keep hearing about but whose names you have trouble pronouncing,” Nyong’o, one of the stars of “Black Panther,” began.
“Actually, I have to come clean,” Nanjiani said. “Kumail Nanjiani is my stage name. My actual given Pakistani name is Chris Pine. So you can imagine how annoyed I was when the other — the white — Chris Pine showed up. The ‘real’ Chris Pine.”
Nyong’o shared that she is an immigrant from Kenya, while Nanjiani is an immigrant from Pakistan.
“And like everyone in this room and everyone watching at home, we are dreamers,” Nyong’o asserted. “We grew up dreaming of one day working in the movies. Dreams are the foundation of Hollywood and dreams are the foundation of America. ”
“So to all of the dreamers out there — we stand with you,” Nanjiani concluded to audience applause.