Riz Ahmed defends Tom Hiddleston’s ‘self indulgent’ Golden Globes speech

Rogue One star Riz Ahmed has defended Tom Hiddleston against criticism over his Golden Globes acceptance speech.

Hiddleston, 35, was accused of portraying himself as a “white saviour” as he picked up the Best Actor gong for his role in BBC spy drama, The Night Manager.

Hiddleston recalled a charity trip to Sudan with the United Nations Children’s Fund where he met a group of Médecins Sans Frontières doctors who told him they had “binge-watched” the series “during the shelling the previous month”.

He said: “The idea that I could provide ― or that we could provide ― some relief and entertainment for the people who worked for UNICEF and Médecins Sans Frontières and the World Food Program, who are fixing the world in the places where it is broken, made me immensely proud.”

Hiddleston’s comments were branded “embarrassing”, “self indulgent” and “cringe worthy” by viewers, and even Christian Slater, Vince Vaughn and Naomie Harris looked baffled by the speech.

Ahmed defended Hiddleston’s choice of words, deeming them “irrelevant”, and instead encouraged people to focus on his actions.

Praising his fellow thespian he tweeted: “Bravo to @twhiddleston for his humanitarian work. His choice of words @goldenglobes while nervous are irrelevant, actions speak loudest.”

Hiddleston apologised for his “inelegantly expressed” speech on Facebook and insisted his “only intention was to salute the incredible bravery and courage of the men and women who work so tirelessly”.

Many of Hiddleston’s fans seemed shocked that the star had even felt the need to aplogise, with one person commenting: “Inelegantly? From you? Are you kidding? Tom Hiddleston, you came across as the intelligent, articulate and compassionate darling that you are.

“Please pay no mind to anyone who cannot recognise that. You stand far above the others. Congratulations!”

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