The Oscar wasn’t for a single performance. Rather, it was a lifetime achievement award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to those who have made “exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences.”
In response, Cruise gave a remarkable acceptance speech. It ran just under 10 minutes, but boy did he make the most of it.
Cruise began by thanking director Alejandro Inarittu, who he’s currently working with on a yet untitled film. He then used the next several minutes to highlight the achievements of fellow award recipients Debbie Allen, Wynn Thomas, and Dolly Parton.
But there was something else that stood out about Cruise’s speech. From beginning to end, he repeated a simple two-word phrase, over 20 times:
“Thank you.”
Of course, the use of the phrase “thank you” itself isn’t surprising. But the way Cruise yielded it was a master class in emotional intelligence, the ability to understand and manage emotions, and it illustrates something leadership psychologists have been studying for years:
After Winning His First Oscar, Tom Cruise Kept Repeating the Same Phrase
