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“In light of all that’s going on the world today, it’s difficult to celebrate the already-celebrated Stranger Things,” David Harbour said as he accepted the SAG Award for Best Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, for Netflix’s 1980s-set sci-fi/horror series set in Hawkins, IN.

Then he did – because, he explained, the win is a “call to arms” from fellow actors to use their art “to battle against fear, self-centeredness and exclusivity of our predominantly narcissistic culture, and through our craft to cultivate a more empathetic and understanding society.”

To that end, he vowed:

“As we act in the continuing narrative of Stranger Things, we 1983 Midwesterners will repel bullies, we will shelter freaks and outcasts, those that have no homes,” he said.

“We will get past the lies. We will hunt monsters,” Harbour said as he began to shout while the ensemble — many of them kids — hugged and high-fived onstage.

“And when we are at a loss, amidst the hypocrisy and the casual violence of certain individuals and institutions, we will … punch some people in the face when the seek to destroy … disenfranchise and marginalize – and do it all with heart and joy and with joy. We thank you for this responsibility!”