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Graham Moore’s touching Oscar speech is for anyone who’s ever felt different or alone

Graham Moore receives the award for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 87th Oscars.
Graham Moore receives the award for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 87th Oscars.
Graham Moore receives the award for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 87th Oscars.
(Kevin Winter/Getty)

There were many inspiring moments at this year's Oscars. One of the most memorable happened when Graham Moore won Best Adapted Screenplay for The Imitation Game.

Moore’s speech started out lighthearted and cute (he thanked Oprah for presenting the award), and he sent his love to his entire cast. But he quickly transitioned into a more serious tone, to briefly bring up his suicide attempt at 16 years old. Moore tried to take his life, he said, because he felt like he was weird. Like he didn’t fit in or belong anywhere.

“And now I’m standing here,” he said proudly. Here: as in, alive, on the other side of the rejection and the misunderstanding and the pain. It does truly get better, and Moore is proof of that.

From this vantage point Moore was able to offer the following advice to all of those teenagers out there who feel like they don’t fit in:

“I promise you do. You do. Stay weird. Stay different. And then when it’s your turn, and you are the one standing on this stage, please pass the same message to the next person who comes along.”

Watch the inspiring speech below.

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