One of the best moments at the Golden Globes last night came when Sylvester Stallone won Best Supporting Actor for Creed. The crowd gave him a standing ovation and he was visibly emotional as he accepted the award. Backstage, that emotion continued as he was asked about his late son, Sage.

After picking up the award, Stallone answered questions from journalists very seriously, notes Vanity Fair. That’s much different from other celebrities, who are usually joking around at the awards. One reporter asked the actor if Creed’s father-son theme was helpful for him, just three years after his son Sage died in 2012.

“To be frank, any time you can vent emotions that are real, I feel that it’s very, very helpful. Most importantly, I just wanted to respect his memory, and I think we did,” a teary-eyed Stallone said. “So it was good.”

Sage was only 36 when he died of heart disease. He appeared in horror films, helped distribute movies and was also in Rocky V.

People notes that Stallone said he was completely surprised by the standing ovation from his peers. He even said that he will have to re-watch the Globes on Tivo.

“I did not expect to win at all so, I made a promise to myself that I would be very aware the whole time – it proves I'm not aware. I got really caught up in emotion,” Stallone said. “Thank you very much. Just the mere fact that these incredible people applauding, it makes me realize that in life, it's really never over 'til it's over, and it indicates that people should never give up trying, so I think it was a very, very positive message for everybody.”

Stallone also did well with critics and was named Best Supporting Actor by the National Board of Review last month. Amazingly, this is the first time he’s receiving awards notice since the original Rocky, which went on to win the 1976 Best Picture Oscar.