Joaquin Phoenix’s acceptance speech on systematic racism at the BAFTA 2020 is not the only speech that piqued people’s interest at the event.
Brad Pitt, who won the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor for his work in the movie ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’, also delivered an interesting speech despite not being physically present for the ceremony.
Pitt had some family-related obligations that prevented him from attending the event. In his place, his co-star in the film, Margot Robbie, got up on the stage and read the speech from a paper that was written by Pitt.
Brexit, Megxit, and Harry
The speech was hilarious and as the ceremony took place in London an obligatory joke on Brexit was a given.
Pitt’s speech began with,
“Hi Britain, heard you just became single. Welcome to the club. Wishing you the best with the divorce settlement… blah blah blah.”
This part of the speech referenced Brexit, which was officialized on 31 January 2020. Britain separating from European Union after 47 years of membership and Pitt’s divorce from Angelina Jolie after years of living together were the points that were alluded to through the joke.
The speech ended by poking fun at another thing that has been plaguing the British people recently and is constantly in the headlines i.e. the Megxit.
Margot Robbie said,
“Oh, and he says that he is gonna name this Harry cuz he is really excited about bringing it back to the States with him. His words, not mine, thanks.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex recently announced that they will no longer be involved with the royal family due to the negativity that they have been subjected to for the past 2 years and the excessive media attention that they have received.
After stepping back from their royal duties, Harry and Meghan have moved to North America and are currently residing in a Vancouver Island mansion in Canada. However, it’s speculated that Meghan wants to return to the USA and work as an actress.
Pitt naming his British award ‘Harry’ is him jesting about the British Prince’s decision to shift to a different continent.
The cherry on top of it all was the fact that Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton were in attendance and chuckled nervously when this part came up.
Also Read: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Divorce On Cards Due To Heroin, Kinky Sex, and Emotional Breakdown?
Continuing The Trend Of Golden Globes And SAG
Brad Pitt is on a roll, and not just because he is winning an award at all the prestigious ceremonies that honor cinematic excellence. His acceptance speeches could be considered as an audition for a Netflix stand-up special.
It started with the Golden Globes, where Pitt diligently thanked Leonardo DiCaprio for being an amazing co-star. Yet, he couldn’t help but add “Still, I would have shared the raft”, a reference to the 1997 film Titanic, and its climax scene where DiCaprio’s character freezes to death refusing to share the raft with Rose, his lover.
This scene has sparked many debates and is responsible for giving birth to many memes. (I also think that he should have gotten on the raft, that way we could have gotten a happy ending).
Next came the SAG awards. Although Pitt and his ex-wife, Jennifer Aniston reuniting at the awards and greeting each other was the most remarkable thing about that show for many people, Pitt’s speech again caught everyone’s attention.
Pitt began by saying,
“I wanna thank my costars, Leo, Margot Robbie, Margot Robbie’s feet, Margaret Qualley’s feet, Dakota Fanning’s feet.”
This was a not so subtle dig at director Quentin Tarantino’s foot fetish and the many close-up shots of feet in various positions in his movies. (Don’t believe me? See this compilation and then tell me).
Quentin Tarantino was sitting in the audience, but that didn’t stop Pitt from mentioning that “Quentin has separated more women from their shoes than the TSA (Transportation Security Authority).”
Pitt’s comfort with self-deprecating humor was evident when he sarcastically noted that it was tough playing Cliff Booth, his character that won him the honor.
He said, “Let’s be honest, it was a difficult part, a guy who gets high, takes his shirt off, and doesn’t get on with his wife. It was a big stretch.”
His divorce from Jennifer Aniston and the ongoing divorce with Angelina Jolie have been widely covered by numerous tabloids and this part of speech implied the similarity between his reel life and his real life: turning his troubles into punchlines won him huge applause.
The Hollywood stars are often said to be uptight, but Pitt’s attitude might change this perception. Also, there are always complaints about the award shows being too long. Hopefully, Pitt’s jokes might have provided the much needed humorous relief. Now, I am waiting for the Academy Awards and wishing that Pitt will end the award season with another memorable speech.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: NDTV, Vanity Fair, ABC
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