Scarlett Johansson, Eva Longoria address Democratic National Convention ahead of Barack Obama
Actress Scarlett Johansson speaks on stage during the final day of the Democratic National Convention at Time Warner Cable Arena on September 6, 2012 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Scarlett Johansson led an all-star cast appearing at the final session of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte Thursday night.
The actress — whose speech was printed in full by Politico — was joined by Natalie Portman, Kerry Washington and Eva Longoria in addressing the conference in the hours before President Barack Obama arrived on stage to accept the Democratic nomination.
Musical entertainment, meantime, was provided by James Taylor, the Foo Fighters and Mary J Blige, with Marc Anthony singing the National Anthem.
According to the Associated Press, Johansson said major issues were at stake for her generation, including health care, college tuition and equal pay.
"I speak to you not as a representative of young Hollywood, but as a representative of the many millions of young Americans, particularly young women, who depend on public and nonprofit programs to help them survive," the 27-year-old said, recalling accompanying her mother into the voting booth as a child.
"This last election, I finally got to punch those buttons for me, for real," she said. "I wore my 'I voted' pin the whole day. It was my finest accessory."
She urged young people to register and vote and, although saying that she wouldn’t advise anyone to vote for one candidate, directed them to Obama’s campaign website to register and find their polling place.
Desperate Housewives star Longoria reflected on her modest upbringing in Corpus Christi, Texas, and acknowledged the change in her circumstances as a means of attacking Republican tax plans.
Candidate Mitt Romney "would raise taxes on middle-class families to cut his own — and mine," she said, the Wall Street Journal reported.
"That's not who we are as a nation, and here's why: The Eva Longoria who worked at Wendy's flipping burgers — she needed a tax break. But the Eva Longoria who works on movie sets does not."
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