Laura Fox wrote this article in the Daily Mail:
Sir Anthony Hopkins made history at the 2021 British Academy Film Awards on Sunday as he became the oldest man in history to be awarded Best Leading Actor.
The screen veteran, 83, who had already received the BAFTA Fellowship in 2008, was awarded the prize for his acclaimed performance in The Father, beating out favourite Chadwick Boseman.
However despite the historic win, Anthony was a surprise no-show as he failed to appear at the virtual ceremony and later revealed he had been working on a painting in his hotel room in Wales.
Anthony, who has been living in Wales during the pandemic, admitted he wasn't even aware he'd won the prize for Leading Actor, and was only alerted to the news by his family who were watching the ceremony unfold.
He said: 'This is wonderful, never in my life did I expect I'd get this. I got to a point in my life, this particular film which is a powerful film I know.
'So for me this is a bonus, it's a fun bonus, and I wish all the other nominees and winners congratulations I'm just so astounded I was sitting here painting in fact in my hotel, and I heard this cheer go off next door, I thought they were watching a football match next door.'
He wasn't the only big winner of the night not to show up: Frances McDormand also didn't appear to accept her Leading Actress award, leaving the end of the ceremony somewhat flat.
Anthony's trophy had to be accepted by The Father's screenwriter Florian Zeller.
Anthony was nominated for Leading Actor opposite Riz Ahmed for Sound of Metal, Mads Mikkelsen for Another Round, Tahar Rahim for The Mauritanian, Chadwick Boseman for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, and Adarsh Gourav for The White Tiger.
For many it was thought that Chadwick was the favourite to win for his final ever screen role following his death in August 2020.
But it was Anthony who was announced as the winner of the coveted BAFTA prize, by presenter Renée Zellweger during the ceremony.
Anthony's victory made him the oldest in history to win Leading Actor, but the title of the oldest ever BAFTA winner still belongs to Emmanuelle Riva, who at aged 84 was awarded Leading Actress for Amour in 2012.
After it was announced he'd won the coveted prize, Renee revealed he wasn't present to accept, and so The Father's screenwriter Florian Zeller spoke in his place.
Despite being absent for the ceremony itself, Anthony did speak at the post-awards press conference about his historic victory, telling MailOnline and other media he found it 'easy' to adapt to his acclaimed role.
He said: 'It keeps me out of trouble, I don't want to sound heavy about it but it's the only thing I know how to do, I don't know how I became an actor, but it's something that's in my blood.
'I enjoy it, I keep it simple, I love it, it's a great life and to be able to express things. I hope I don't take myself too seriously.
'The Father was quite easy because I didn't have to act much, because I am old, so it made it so easy, and when you're working with a great great cast of actors, when you're working with a cast like this, it makes it so easy.
'It's astonishing, it made it easy, I'd come in the morning ready for work because I'm not a method actor but when you have a perfect script it's like a road map, and we'd have a go at it and we'd have some fun at it. The whole cast was perfect so it made it easy for me.'
In the film Anthony plays the role of an elderly father who has been struggling with dementia, and the actor admitted that he is yet to have a loved one who has gone through the same thing.
He said: 'My mother and father didn't suffer dementia, but I did have a friend whose father in law suffers from dementia in America and he never knew where he was.
'I saw the reaction of the family, and he kept thinking his daughter was his wife. And they were very patient with him, and he died very peacefully, that was my only connection with that.'
The BAFTA and EE British Academy Film Awards 2021 was the first of the Academy's film ceremonies to be held virtually.
Nomadland was the big winner, taking home four gongs on the night, including the coveted Best Film award.
The American drama - which stars Frances McDormand as a modern-day nomad travelling through America in her van after losing her livelihood in the Great Recession - also picked up Best Leading Actress for McDormand, Best Director for Chloe Zhao and Best Cinematography.
Elsewhere Yuh-Jung Young was awarded Best Supporting Actress for her work in Minari, in which she played the grandmother character Soonja from Korea visiting relatives in Arkansas in the 1980s.
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