India, Jan. 5 -- The Critics Choice Awards unfolded against a charged political backdrop, as global events involving US strikes on Venezuela intersected with Hollywood's awards season.

Actor Ethan Hawke, who was honored with a Career Achievement Award during awards festivities in Palm Springs, briefly addressed the escalating situation tied to the US military strikes on Venezuela. Speaking to Variety, Hawke said: "I was already upset about the Kennedy Center Honor, and now we're bombing. Power corrupts. It's a common theme of mankind. Nothing that's happening to us, to Americans, to civilians isn't anything that hasn't happened to humanity."

He added: "History is littered with despots and selfish people and greedy people and they make t...