J. K. Simmons Won an Oscar and Made an Inspiring Speech That Will Melt You

Anyone out there tune in to this year’s Oscars? Unfortunately, I couldn’t because of school and time zones, but I did get to use Twitter that day when I had a break. Immediately as I logged in, my timeline was filled with the news that J. K. Simmons had won an Oscar for his supporting role in Whiplash, directed by Damien Chazelle (also starring the handsome Miles Teller).

And the Oscar for Actor in a Supporting Role goes to… pic.twitter.com/VZKVl29iX5

— The Academy (@TheAcademy) February 23, 2015

I got the chance to watch Whiplash, and it was outstanding. The cast was definitely the weight that brings the movie to life, and the teacher-student relationship between Fletcher and Andrew is both hard to watch and rewarding.

In the film, Simmons plays Terrence Fletcher, a ferocious and tyrannical music professor at Shaffer, the most prestigious music school in the US, and Fletcher seems to have taken an interest in Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller), a jazz drummer whose passion to learn is relentless. This brings Fletcher to antagonize Andrew with his demands of perfectionism, even leading to verbal and physical abuse in order to get what he wants from his students.

Simmons told Interview Magazine about his own encounters with musicians over the years, saying, “I certainly knew some guys who studied under some really brilliantly musicians who were perfectionists. But nobody who was as borderline psychopathic and abusive as Fletcher.”

So, on February 22, 2015,  J. K. Simmons won his first Oscar after being nominated for Best Supporting Actor against Ethan Hawke, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Duvall, and Edward Norton. This is his first nomination and his first win, which probably says something about his performance in the movie.

While accepting his award, Simmons took this moment to not only thank the cast and crew of Whiplash and his wife and children, but to also say a very inspiring and touching speech about how the world should talk to their parents more often, even through their phones.

“If you’re lucky enough to have a parent alive on this planet — call them, don’t text them!” Simmons said.

The buzz about Simmon’s speech continues on in social media.

I called mine! "@usweekly: Aww, J.K. Simmons pleaded to the #Oscars audience to "call your mom" during his acceptance speech

— Rachel Kulis (@rkulis) February 24, 2015

https://twitter.com/suitandtie96/status/570016759916433408

Simmons, age 59, has been working in the industry for a long time on stage and on television. He has also done a number of films, such as Juno, and has particularly worked with Jason Reitman — starring in all of his seven films.

If this win proves anything, it’s that he should be in more movies with amazing scripts and talented casts. It took a while, but now it’s here! Congratulations, J. K. Simmons! I love you and can’t wait for more wonderful movies to come.