I LOVE THIS FILM SO MUCH.

IT'S--YOU HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO EVERYONE IF THEY DON'T KNOW,

IF THEY HAVEN'T SEEN IT, WHAT IT IS.

- IT'S ABOUT AN INCREDIBLY BRAVE GROUP OF MEN AND WOMEN

WHO WERE THE FIRST TO ACT UP AND RAISE AWARENESS

ABOUT THE DISEASE THAT WOULD LATER BECOME KNOWN AS AIDS.

BUT IT'S REALLY ABOUT LOVE.

IT'S ABOUT A COMMUNITY THAT DECIDED TO SAVE ITSELF

BECAUSE SOCIETY WAS PRETTY MUCH UNIVERSALLY SHUNNING THEM

AND IGNORING THEM.

AND THEY SAVED EACH OTHER THROUGH LOVE.

AS HARD AS THAT WAS,

GIVEN THE MANY DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW

IN THE GAY COMMUNITY AT THE TIME,

THEY BANDED TOGETHER AND ULTIMATELY GAVE US

A LOT OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS THAT WE HAVE TODAY.

- AND YOU HEARD ABOUT THIS STORY, I UNDERSTAND,

WHEN YOU WERE 14 YEARS OLD.

- YEAH, I READ-- WE HAD A GREAT DRAMA TEACHER

WHO WOULD ORDER THE PLAYS

THAT WERE GOING ON ON AND OFF-BROADWAY,

AND I FOUND THIS PLAY WHEN I WAS 14,

AND I THOUGHT, "WHAT IS THIS ABOUT?"

AND I READ IT, AND MY WORLD CHANGED.

YOU KNOW, IT CHANGED MY ENTIRE WORLDVIEW

AND EDUCATED ME.

AND I'M SURE, ON SOME LEVEL, SAVED MY LIFE,

NOT JUST IN THE FACT THAT IT

ENCOURAGED ME TO BE-- PRACTICE SAFE SEX,

BUT ALSO IN THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW,

I KNEW THAT SOMEWHERE OUT THERE,

THERE WAS SOMEBODY WHO UNDERSTOOD ME

AND WOULD STAND BY ME AND STAND UP FOR ME.

AND LARRY KRAMER REPRESENTED THAT FOR ME.

- AND THE FACT THAT YOU WOULD READ THAT AT 14

AND END UP IN THE MOVIE IS--

- IT'S CRAZY.

- WE SEE YOUR CHARACTER,

WHICH WE JUST SHOWED AT YOUR HEALTHIEST.

AND THEN YOU ENDED UP LOSING-- DID I READ 35 POUNDS?

- I STOPPED WEIGHING MYSELF AT 35.

WE STILL HAD A WAYS TO GO IN PRODUCTION.

I WAS ON THE DIET.

SO I'M SURE IT WAS MORE THAN THAT.

BUT EVEN THOUGH MY ENERGY WAS REALLY LOW

AND SOMETIMES JUST STANDING UP

AND WALKING ACROSS THE ROOM WAS A CHALLENGING TASK,

I REALLY HAD SUCH AN APPRECIATION FOR LIFE.

AND THAT'S WHAT I TRIED TO BRING TO THE CHARACTER,

NOT A SENSE OF "OH, THIS IS TERRIBLE

TO HAVE THIS LITTLE ENERGY,"

BUT JUST TO TRY TO GET--

SQUEEZE ALL THE JUICE OUT OF LIFE THAT I COULD.

- WELL, ACTUALLY, THAT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE.

SO RYAN MURPHY CRIED WHEN HE SAW YOU,

I UNDERSTAND, WHICH I DON'T BLAME HIM.

I MEAN, REALLY, IT'S A VERY BEAUTIFUL MOVIE,

AND IT IS ABOUT LOVE,

BUT IT'S HEARTBREAKING AND HARD TO WATCH SOMETIMES.

BUT I UNDERSTAND DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT

WAS OVERTURNED WHEN YOU WERE FILMING.

THAT MUST HAVE BEEN AN INCREDIBLE MOMENT.

- IT WAS AMAZING TO BE THERE ON THAT DAY.

AND IT WAS ONE OF THE CELEBRATORY SCENES

WE GOT TO SHOOT IN THE FILM,

WHICH--THANK GOD, 'CAUSE I WAS DOING

THAT, LIKE, KEVIN BACON,

LIKE, ELBOW TO KNEE DANCE THAT DAY,

AND I WAS DOING IT A LITTLE EXTRA HARD

'CAUSE I WAS SO EXCITED.

BUT LARRY WAS THERE, AND HE TOOK THE MICROPHONE--

LARRY KRAMER, WHO WROTE THE PIECE.

AND HE SAID, "WE DID IT."

IN SO MANY WAYS, HE WAS PARTLY RESPONSIBLE

FOR THAT DAY HAPPENING,

SO IT WAS JUST ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS

WHERE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE

IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME.

- YEAH, I BET.

NOW, WERE YOU THAT THIN WHEN YOU CELEBRATED

OR WERE YOU HEALTHIER?

- NO, I WAS IN HEALTHY MODE. - OH, GOOD.

BECAUSE YOU PROBABLY COULDN'T HAVE DONE THAT

WHEN YOU WERE THAT THIN.

- I COULDN'T HAVE DONE THE JERK.

- ALL RIGHT, I'M GONNA HELP YOU OUT.

I UNDERSTAND YOU-- YOU'VE BEEN KIND OF RELUCTANT

TO START YOUR TWITTER ACCOUNT.

- YES. LET'S DO IT.

- WE NEED TO START YOUR TWITTER ACCOUNT.

- AND SO WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO IS, YOU'RE GONNA HOLD THIS.

WE'RE GONNA TAKE A PICTURE.

- OH, THIS IS GREAT.

- ALL RIGHT. - AWESOME.

- SO WE'LL START YOUR TWITTER ACCOUNT.

- OH, MY GOD.

- EVERYBODY FOLLOW MATT.

[cheers and applause]