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00:00Now, while I'm sure he will hate to hear it,
00:03to me, Arianne Moyad is nothing less than a modern marvel.
00:11See what I did there, marvel?
00:13He is a force of fucking nature.
00:17Sorry, Cheryl.
00:20She hates when I curse.
00:22Look, no more jokes.
00:23I want to say I truly believe, fervently,
00:27that a hundred years from now, scientists will study his brain
00:32in an effort to better understand human genius and productivity.
00:37On any given day, at any given moment,
00:39Arianne is simultaneously writing, advocating, producing, teaching,
00:45pitching, promoting, and acting the hell out of everything he touches,
00:50all at the same time.
00:53And as if by some cosmic miracle,
00:56he happens to be one of the most generous, gorgeous,
01:00humane beings I have ever encountered.
01:03He is a truly delightful and compassionate friend,
01:07and leads with more kindness and integrity
01:10than I have ever come to expect from a New Yorker.
01:15It is astounding.
01:18Perhaps most profoundly, he is a glaring reminder
01:22that kindness and care are at the heart of activism.
01:26And that empathy and bravery are an artist's best friend.
01:32His contributions to the arts and social justice
01:35are, in a word, extraordinary.
01:39Take Waterwell, for example,
01:41the non-profit theater company he co-founded.
01:43They are committed to producing theater and film and television
01:46that is, above all else, compelling.
01:49And boy, is it.
01:50But also deeply, deeply rooted in the belief
01:54that art can foster understanding and actually move the needle.
01:59They have worked with countless advocacy organizations,
02:02become a fixture of the New York City Department of Education,
02:06and that doesn't even begin to tell the story of their 20 years,
02:11which is a millennia in theater company terms.
02:16Whether it is addressing issues of race, immigration,
02:19the rights of marginalized communities,
02:21Arian and his team at Waterwell have become a touchstone
02:26of how to use art not just as a form of expression,
02:29but as an actual force of social change.
02:34As a public figure,
02:35Arian has often spoken out about the importance of representation.
02:39Not just in the roles that Middle Eastern and Iranian actors are cast in,
02:43but the ways that those roles are written, directed, and brought to life.
02:48He has been at the forefront of a movement
02:50to reshape how we are represented in the media,
02:53advocating for roles that show the diversity and richness
02:57of Arab, Muslim, Iranian, and Middle Eastern identities.
03:01The same thing that any actor is looking for,
03:09a story that reflects the full scope of human experience.
03:15His performances are seared in my mind.
03:19On stage and screen,
03:22he is a shining example of what acting can be.
03:26A deeply intelligent and generous actor.
03:30My favorite kind.
03:31Tireless, fearless, selfless,
03:35Arian is so deserving of being named a visionary.
03:39Here is a clip to illustrate some of his work.
03:44It's not just my reputation, asshole.
03:48It's my life.
03:49It's my freedom.
03:51You useless, incompetent excuse for a con artist.
03:54I've known a shit ton of fucking criminals in my day,
03:57and you are below fucking average at crime.
03:59So, fuck you.
04:00And fuck your reputation.
04:02And fuck your fake-ass life.
04:03And fuck your freedom.
04:04This is my reputation.
04:07My identity.
04:08My ability to provide a life for my family you're fucking with.
04:12And now, now I look like a fucking hack,
04:14because I can't control my client.
04:16Can't get baby dressed in the morning.
04:18I let you take the stand,
04:21and it's the nail in your coffin and in mine.
04:24You will get the maximum sentence,
04:26and no one will ever hire me again.
04:28As they fucking shouldn't.
04:30And just fuck me.
04:31Fuck you.
04:32Get out.
04:33And my father will find me a lawyer,
04:35who isn't just some long-owned trash sack.
04:37Your father?
04:38Your fucking father?
04:39You're not stupid.
04:41So what is it?
04:42Full-on fucking delusion,
04:44that makes you believe he's coming anywhere near here?
04:49Do you believe your lies?
04:56Hey, hey, look who it is.
04:58Daddy's boy.
05:02I hear your staff are all killing themselves now.
05:04Yeah, at the thought you could be their boss.
05:07Which you never will be.
05:08No, sure, because of all the acquisitions you guys are making,
05:11like really bloating yourselves up, huh?
05:13There's a $75 Cobb salad here.
05:15Dude, you should buy that, use that as a defense.
05:17Yeah, yeah, maybe.
05:19Either the Cobb salad or something else tasty.
05:23Oh, ooh, that's scary.
05:26What could that be?
05:27Is it a hamburger?
05:28Is it calamari?
05:29Is it fucking...
05:31Dude, is it Napster?
05:33Look, I'm just going to say, honestly,
05:36we have something coming in,
05:37and it's going to make your deal untenable.
05:39So, I thought as a friend I should mention.
05:42Well, that's kind.
05:44It's like BFF shit right there.
05:45Look, I'm not fucking with you, Sue.
05:47I swear on my children's lives
05:49that right now we have a deal in the bag so big
05:51that it's going to kill your approach, okay?
05:54And I feel a certain level of regret
05:57about how things have panned out between us.
06:00The thing is, Ken, and due respect,
06:04I really don't trust you.
06:09Please welcome the man I want to be when I grow up,
06:11Arian Moyad.
06:27Wow.
06:30First of all, thank you so, so much to Chris,
06:34who I've known for a long time,
06:36and Chris is, you know, man,
06:38you really are just a genuine, amazing human being,
06:41but what people also don't know is that
06:43you are like one of the great actors.
06:46You really are. It's so true.
06:49One of the great actors.
06:51Are you recording this?
06:52One of the great actors, Chris Perfetti.
06:57Thank you to Variety.
06:59Thank you to The Coalition.
07:02I've said this story to a few people before.
07:05Some of you might have read it.
07:06I think it bears repeating.
07:08My mother was born and was married at an ungodly age,
07:14and my father was ungodly young,
07:17and they had kids by the age of 18.
07:21They had three.
07:22And by the middle of the revolution
07:27that happened in 1979 in Iran,
07:29one of my brothers was in Chicago
07:32dealing with the ramifications
07:34of what was happening in Iran and in the States.
07:38My sister was on the streets fighting for justice.
07:42My other brother was fighting in the Iran-Iraq War.
07:47And in the midst of all that,
07:48my father was forced into retirement
07:51because the crazy fanatics wanted to take over the banks,
07:56so my dad had no job.
07:58And in the midst of all that,
08:01I was born as this little accident.
08:06And I have to say,
08:09that experience into itself,
08:11to this moment, defines who I am.
08:15We then came to the States after a little stint in Dubai.
08:19We came to the States and moved to Chicago
08:21because that's where my brother was at.
08:22And we had the typical immigrant life
08:25with very little means, very little English,
08:29very little opportunities.
08:31No one else to guide us or help us.
08:34In the midst of a time and period
08:36where Iranians were demonized,
08:38not that it's gotten any better,
08:41but demonized.
08:43And I say all that to say,
08:45I am standing here because of faith
08:49and something bigger than myself.
08:52There's no reason I should be here.
08:54It's a miracle that I'm standing in front of any of you right now.
08:58And so this opportunity to be here,
09:01I'm so honored that my artistry
09:04and the people at Waterwell
09:06and the table here of Motherland
09:09are all here because we're trying to use art
09:13to move the needle forward to better lives.
09:16That's the only mission that we're here to do.
09:19This is all amazing.
09:20I love all the accolades
09:23and all the stuff we all do.
09:26But none of this matters
09:27unless we as artists try to move forward
09:32the progress that we need to do.
09:34I always end with these two things.
09:38I was told once there's two things that remain on earth.
09:42The wars that we fight
09:45and the art that we make.
09:49And why wouldn't we use that art
09:52to battle those wars?
09:55And the last thing is very name-dropping,
09:57but may he rest in peace.
09:59I had the honor of being on Broadway with Robin Williams.
10:03And he was a real inspiration and a real mentor to me.
10:07He would be so honored.
10:09And he said to me,
10:12the difference between an A-plus actor
10:15and a B-plus actor is not talent.
10:18It's how you treat people.
10:21And I take that every day.
10:23Thank you so much for this, honestly.