Michael Keaton breaks down at SAG Awards over death of nephew to drug addiction

Michael Keaton choked back tears as he accepted his SAG award for best actor, revealing a personal tragedy that made the win all the more poignant.

Veteran actor Michael Keaton choked back tears while accepting the SAG award for best actor yesterday while divulging a heartbreaking personal tragedy.

Keaton, who starred in riveting Hulu series Dopesick, dedicated the gong to his nephew and sister, revealing through tears that he had lost his nephew, also named Michael, to drug addiction.

The actor opened his speech on a comical note after rushing to the podium from the bathroom, declaring the men’s room “packed” to his industry peers. But his tone changed soon after as he delved into his love for acting and the ability to tell stories that can inspire change.

“There’s massive inequity in the world,” he said.

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The actor gave an emotional address to the SAG Awards crowd.

“In Dopesick, when you talk about addiction, the way to heal the problem is to accept that you have a problem.

“Not our country, the entire world, economically, racially, socially, financially, there’s massive inequity in the world. There just is. There’s fair and there’s unfair. There’s not a lot of room in between. I can feel right now the rolling thunder of eye-rolling coming across people saying to me things like, ‘Shut up and dribble,’ ‘Shut up and act.’ The acting I’ll quit. The shutting up, not so much.

“I’m blessed to do something that might improve someone’s life,” he said.

Going on to reference his role in Dopesick — which recounts of the devastating rise of opioid addiction in America — Keaton concluded with an emotional tribute.

“Given the subject matter, this is for my nephew Michael and my sister Pam,” he said, his voice quavering.

Keaton fought back tears while dedicating his SAG win to his late nephew.

“I lost my nephew Michael to drugs, and it hurts. This is for my sister Pam,” he concluded as he fought back tears and the crowd erupted in applause.

In Dopesick, Keaton plays a doctor who falls victim to a pharmaceutical company’s deceptive advertising before struggling with addiction himself.

The former Batman star had previously explained to the New York Times that losing his nephew was key in motivating him to accept the role in Dopesick, an adaptation of Beth Macy’s book of the same name.

“I take pride in holding those people accountable for the victims of this opioid crisis,” he told the publication last year.