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Bryan Cranston took a thinly veiled jab at Donald Trump in his Tony Award acceptance speech on Sunday night.
The actor picked up the award for best performance by an actor in a leading role in a play for his performance as newsman Howard Beale in a stage adaptation of Network.
He dedicated his award to “all the real journalists around the world” saying they are “in the line of fire”.
“The media is not the enemy of the people,” Cranston said, contradicting one of the president’s frequent claims.
“Demagoguery is the enemy of the people.”
Tony Awards 2019 Best-DressedShow all 40 1 /40Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Celia Keenan-Bolger wears a pale blue tulle gown on the red carpet.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Joanne Tucker and Adam Driver pose on the red carpet at the Tony Awards.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Shoshana Bean attends the Tony Awards in a red mermaid-style gown.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Tiler Peck wears a black statement gown on the red carpet.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Laura Osnes wears a pink one-shouldered gown while posing with Nathan Johnson on the red carpet.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Danai Gurira wore a white-and-gold gown with statement sleeves on the red carpet.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Emily Ratajkowski wore a black cutout gown on the red carpet.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Emily Ratajkowski poses with Michael Kors on the red carpet of the Tony Awards.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Hamish Bowles wears a colourful floral suit on the red carpet in shades of purple. He matched the outfit with purple sneakers.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Vanessa Hudgens wore a paisley and sparkle mini dress in shades of grey and silver for the 73rd annual Tony Awards.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Audra McDonald wore a one-shouldered white gown on the red carpet.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Reeve Carney wore a top hat paired with shimmery pants and a unique suit jacket.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Kerry Butler wore a floral gown on the red carpet for the 73rd annual Tony Awards.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Billy Porter wore a suit-gown combination by Celestino Couture on the red carpet with a uterus motif. The outfit was meant to convey a statement about women's rights.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Camille A Brown attends the Tony Awards in a blue tulle gown.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Ira Kunyansky and Abigail Breslin arrive on the red carpet at the Tony Awards.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Lilli Cooper wears a blue mermaid gown on the red carpet.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Billy Porter wears a red-and-pink tulle outfit on the red carpet alongside Adam Smith.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Charlie Carver attends the 73rd annual Tony Awards dressed in a black suit.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Jeremy Pope arrives on the red carpet dressed in an all-black outfit for this year's Tony Awards.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Fionnula Flanagan attends the 73rd annual Tony Awards in a blue sparkle dress with a slit.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Samira Wiley wears a bright emerald green dress on the red carpet.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Catherine O'Hara wears a unique black and white geometric dress on the red carpet.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Laura Linney wears a black one-shouldered gown on the red carpet.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Host James Corden and Julia Carey arrive at the 73rd annual Tony Awards.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Cynthia Erivo attends the Tony Awards in a light purple gown with yellow feathers by Chris Gelinas.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Sarah Stiles attends the Tony Awards in a lavender dress accented with black and matching heels.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Dominique Morisseau opts for a red dress with a high slit on the red carpet for the 73rd annual Tony Awards.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Anna Wintour opts for a green gown with statement sleeves for the 73rd annual Tony Awards.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Justin Mikita pose on the Tony Awards red carpet. Mikita wore a cowboy-themed ensemble for the award show, complete with a turquoise bolo tie.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Darren Criss attends the Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Darren Criss and Mia Swier pose on the red carpet at the 73rd annual Tony Awards.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Sarah Kate Ellis wears a light pink ball gown for the award show.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Jordan Roth chose an all-red ensemble for the Tony Awards.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Tina Fey wears a gold jacket with matching pants on the Tony Awards red carpet. The comedian accessorised with a matching black, white and red clutch.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Kristin Chenoweth wears a black mini dress on the red carpet.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Marisa Tomei wears a colourful bustier gown on the red carpet with a floral print.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Bryan Cranston and Robin Dearden pose on the red carpet.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Regina King wears a bright pink ruched gown on the red carpet at this year's Tony Awards.
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Tony Awards 2019 Best-Dressed Lucy Liu attends the Tony Awards in a purple tulle gown.
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Upon taking the stage, Cranston jokingly shouted: “Finally, a straight, old, white man gets a break!”
Beale, the newsman played by Cranston, in the midst of a nervous breakdown, famously screams “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!”
The role won him an Olivier Award in London.
This is Cranston’s second Tony Award. The former star of Breaking Bad and Malcolm in the Middle has also won six Emmys.
Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Cranston, whose portrayal of Walter White on AMC’s Breaking Bad cemented his stardom, won a Tony for his Broadway debut as President Lyndon Baines Johnson in All The Way . He also earned an Oscar nomination for Trumbo .
Additional reporting by agencies
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