Lola Petticrew delivered an earnest and charged speech while accepting her Actress in a Lead Role award at the IFTAs in Dublin last week.
Belfast native Petticrew, 29, won for her role as Dolours Price in the FX / Hulu adaptation of Patrick Radden Keefe's 2018 bestseller "Say Nothing."
In the category, she was up against Elaine Cassidy of "Sanctuary," Nicola Coughlan of "Bridgerton," Siobhán Cullen of "Bodkin," Roisin Gallagher of "The Dry," and Sharon Horgan of "Bad Sisters."
Accepting the award from presenter Chris O'Dowd, Petticrew admitted she was "really nervous."
However, she continued, reading from prepared remarks: “This show ['Say Nothing'] asks big questions about how we in the North move forward and move on.
“Gutless politicians kick about ideas like painting over murals while working-class people on both sides of the green and orange line cry out for investment in social housing, education, youth services, and mental health services.
“While both governments punish trans kids for existing and legitimize war criminals with handshakes and shamrocks, my peers are dying by suicide.
“There is what feels like insurmountable intergenerational trauma and insufficient services to deal with it.
“I would say that the first step in moving on and moving forward would be providing some decent mental health services, investing in youth services, and a proper standard of living for all working-class people in the North.”
Met with vigorous applause and cheers, Petticrew concluded: “Thank you, free Palestine.”
You can watch Lola Petticrew's IFTA acceptance speech here:
With more than 19k views, Petticrew's IFTA acceptance speech is one of the most-viewed from the evening on IFTA's YouTube channel.
She wrote on social media afterward that while she had many people to thank, "it felt only right to use the moment to say some other more pressing things."
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Commenting on Petticrew's social media post was fellow nominee Nicola Coughlan who wrote: "So deserved Lola congratulations xx."
Hazel Doupe, Petticrew's "Say Nothing" co-star who won in the Supporting Actress - Drama category, also wrote: "You incredible incredible human being."
"Say Nothing" landed nine IFTA nominations and won three. Anthony Boyle, who portrayed a young Brendan Hughes in the series, won the prestigious IFTA Rising Star Award.
While the show has received critical acclaim, it is not without controversy. Former IRA member Marian Price has launched legal proceedings after being depicted in the series as "the person to whom was responsible for murdering Ms. Jean McConville." Price vehemently denies she killed McConville.
Speaking to the media after her win, Petticrew said: "The most important thing to me from the very inception of this all was just that my community felt represented and empowered and felt like they could see themselves reflected in the screens and that their stories were shown reverence.
"So, I'm just delighted."
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