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Actor and filmmaker Peter Billingsley gives a speech at Vince Vaughn's Hollywood Walk of Fame star unveiling ceremony on Monday, August 12, 2024, at 6201 Hollywood Blvd. in Los Angeles, California, USA.
This video is only available for editorial use in all media and worldwide. To ensure compliance and proper licensing of this video, please contact us. ©MaximoTV
Actor and filmmaker Peter Billingsley gives a speech at Vince Vaughn's Hollywood Walk of Fame star unveiling ceremony on Monday, August 12, 2024, at 6201 Hollywood Blvd. in Los Angeles, California, USA.
This video is only available for editorial use in all media and worldwide. To ensure compliance and proper licensing of this video, please contact us. ©MaximoTV
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00:00Please join me in welcoming Peter Billingsley to the stage.
00:07Thank you, Melvin, very much.
00:17It is an honor to be here and have the opportunity to share a few words about my good friend
00:22Vince.
00:23And from the moment I met Vince many years ago, his star was shining brightly, and I
00:28knew that this moment would eventually arrive.
00:31In fact, the most surprising part about all this is that it took us this long to be up
00:35here.
00:37And Vince is truly a star in everything that he does.
00:40He's a star in his approach, in his preparation, his execution, and his follow-through.
00:46He shines brightly on the screen and the people's lives who've had the good fortune to know
00:51him personally, making them and those around him want to be better in all they pursue.
00:57His tremendous success comes at no surprise.
01:00Now I first met Vince as a fellow actor on an after-school special 35 years ago.
01:05It was a very dramatic role, probably overly dramatic, as most after-school specials are.
01:11But even in the face of a small project like that, one which many actors would dismiss
01:15as merely a stepping stone, Vince's dedication to making it great was on full display.
01:21Now we were playing best friends, so he suggested that maybe we get together off-screen, try
01:25to build a little chemistry that might filter through to the role, just some time spent
01:30off-screen to make the whole piece shine brighter.
01:33So we hung out at Jerry's Deli, we ate a lot of pastrami sandwiches, we bought a lot of
01:37games at the old Rock and Bowl, and we walked these very streets in the late 1980s, looking
01:43at the stars etched into the Walk of Fame and talking about our own dreams in Hollywood.
01:49And it paid off big time.
01:50Not only are we still very close and our careers have flourished, but to this day, it still
01:55is 98% fresh, that after-school special.
01:58So Vince crushed it.
02:01What happened from that moment forward was not only the beginning of many collaborations,
02:05but a lifelong friendship that put me in the unique position of having a front-row seat
02:11to his incredible career.
02:12And the more I got to know him, the more I realized that his success in Hollywood was
02:17not a question of if, but when.
02:19He had all the makings of it, the desire, the fortitude, the resilience, the incredible
02:24raw talent, the matinee-idle looks, the genuine passion and love for his craft.
02:30And anyone who knew Vince at that time knew him to be the funniest and most charismatic
02:34guy in the room.
02:36As it often does, it just took Hollywood a minute to catch up.
02:41We live in a time where people become famous for so many different reasons.
02:46But a star is truly someone who's recognized for their achievements and for their accomplishments.
02:51And as a writer and producer, he's created so many memorable films like The Break-Up,
02:56Couples Retreat, and as an actor, Vince, my gosh.
03:02It's one thing to have some memorable lines, but to have such iconic performances that
03:06the dialogue gets etched into the fabric of everyday life is another amazing feat altogether.
03:13Now I defy you, any of you, to go over the hill towards the casinos without shouting,
03:18Vegas, baby Vegas.
03:20Try cursing in front of a small child without saying, earmuffs first.
03:24Or try embracing an old friend without telling him to bring it in for the real thing.
03:30He continues to challenge himself in role after role, even shaved his head and bulked
03:34up, showing us a completely different side of himself in brawl in Cell Block 99, where
03:39to prepare for that role, he once again made me walk these very streets and punch mid-sized
03:44cars for most of the night.
03:46That's truly dedicated to his craft like no other.
03:49Vince, your parents Vernon and Che are here, who are no doubt very proud.
03:54You're surrounded by your family, your wife, children, friends, and colleagues who all
04:00share my sentiments.
04:01And I'm honored to share today with you the cementing of a star into the Hollywood Walk
04:06of Fame in your name, a star that we have all known for a very long time.
04:12So to quote you once again, Vince, from one of my other favorite performances of yours,
04:16be cool, you're a star, twinkle, twinkle, baby, twinkle, twinkle.
04:21Congratulations my friend, and here's to many, many more years to come.