Benedict Cumberbatch, who was honored on Monday with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, paid tribute to his sister Tracy Peacock, who died of cancer last year, and called attention to the crisis in Ukraine at the unveiling ceremony.
“I want to mention my sister who we lost last year,” Cumberbatch said. “She would have loved this. She was unbelievably loyal, supportive, and she would have loved the glitz and the oddness and the glamour. She would have just been laughing nonstop all the way through, and probably crying.”
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Cumberbatch added: “I hope somewhere up there, where the real stars shine, you’re looking down on this moment now. I’m sure you are. We miss you so much. You remain such a good and wonderful person to have had in our lives.”
The “Power of the Dog” star also used his platform to raise awareness and show his support for the people of Ukraine.
“I can’t speak today at this amazing moment in my life, on this extraordinary platform, without acknowledging the obvious of what’s happening in Ukraine and to show my support for the people of Ukraine, my support for the people of Russia who are opposing the Kleptocracy and the idiocy of their rulers to try and halt the progression of this atrocity,” Cumberbatch said. “But it’s more now for all of us to do than just have thoughts and prayers. We need to act, we need to go on to embassy websites, we need to see what we can do as citizens of the world, citizens of Europe and people who want a better place and a better outcome for this horrendous moment for these people with children, with families who are struggling to survive as rockets rain down on their cities.”
He continued: “We can’t stand back anymore. This is no longer a time for avarice or sloth or inactiveness or ineptitude. We need to act, and there are things you can do. You can support organizations. You can support those who help refugees on the ground. You can support human rights organizations. You can pressure your politicians, your bank, your industries to recognize anything that you can do to help. It is possible, so I urge people to do that on this day.”
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