- Geoffrey Owens was among the actors who opened up the 25th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards Sunday night.
- Owens was spotted working a day job at a Trader Joe's in New Jersey last August.
- During the SAGs, he recalled taking the job while finding himself in debt to see if he could stay in his acting career.
- The 57-year-old actor received a large round of applause for his speech.
"The Cosby Show" actor Geoffrey Owens made one of the most memorable moments of the Screen Actors Guild Awards less than five minutes into the show.
The 57-year-old actor received thunderous applause for his honest "I am an actor" speech, which opened the 25th annual awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California Sunday.
"So somewhere in the middle of the road of my life, I found myself in the dark wood of unemployment and debt, but instead of switching careers like a sane person, I took a job at a local Trader Joe's to see if I could hang in there with my career and it's actually worked out pretty well," said Owens. "I'm Geoffrey Owens and I am an actor."
You can watch the moment below.
I’ve given up on #rentlive at the moment to watch the #SAGAwards and am glad I did mainly for this Geoffrey Owens cameo!! Elvin is perfect. pic.twitter.com/0OY2P1dgSG
— Michelle Collins (@michcoll) January 28, 2019
Photos of the actor went viral last fall after he was spotted working at a New Jersey Trader Joe's.
Owens played doctor Elvn Tibideaux on "The Cosby Show" from 1985 to 1992. While some fans were surprised and shamed the actor for working at the store, many quickly came to his defense to point out that it's normal for many actors to have a day job.
Though he was initially a bit upset by some responses for shaming him for his day job, Owens said he wasn't embarrassed of his for working an earnest job.
"No one should feel sorry for me," he told Good Morning America. "I've had a great life. I've had a great career. I've had a career that most actors would die for. So no one has to feel sorry for me. I'm doing fine."
Owens received a lot of job offers after his photo went viral, including a chance to work on one of Tyler Perry's OWN dramas, which he accepted. Owens will reportedly appear on Perry's "The Haves and the Have Nots."
Visit INSIDER's homepage for more.
Join the conversation about this story »
NOW WATCH: We compared Apple's $159 AirPods to Xiaomi's $30 AirDots and the winner was clear