Video Flashback! Mark Rylance's Poetic Tony Acceptance Speech Is Music to Bengal Tiger Star Arian Moayed

In the final days leading up to the 2011 Tony telecast, Broadway.com is posting videos of favorite Tony memories of this year’s nominees, with their own commentary. Arian Moayed, a Best Featured Actor nominee for Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, was charmed by Mark Rylance's not-so-traditional 2008 acceptance speech, in which the actor recited Louis Jenkins' poem "The Back Country" in lieu of a list of thank-yous.

"I remember Mark Rylance’s speech when he won Best Actor for Boeing Boeing. I thought it was so, so cool. I was nominated for a Drama Desk Award that year, as was Mark, and he gave a similar speech when he won there as well. I just thought, ‘This guy is awesome. I have to meet him!’”