Anthony Hopkins, who was asleep when he won an Oscar, belatedly accepts it from Wales
Looking for more closure after the Oscars' shockingly anticlimactic ending? You'll need to head over to Anthony Hopkins' Instagram page.
The actor posted a video from Wales early on Monday to accept his Best Actor Oscar after not being there to do so during the Academy Awards' jaw-dropping conclusion. Hopkins become the oldest actor to ever win an Oscar.
"At 83 years of age, I did not expect to get this award," Hopkins said in the video. "I really didn't. I'm very grateful to the Academy, and thank you."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Hopkins isn't just being humble there, as most awards prognosticators didn't anticipate this, either. Chadwick Boseman was widely expected to posthumously win Best Actor for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, so much so that the Oscars' producers took the unusual step of placing this award at the end of the broadcast after Best Picture was already presented. It seemed likely they were hoping to end the Oscars with an emotional tribute to Boseman, assuming he would win.
Instead, not only did Boseman lose, but the final award went to someone who wasn't even there to accept it, which was one heck of a deflating way for Hollywood's biggest night to conclude. Hopkins' agent confirmed to People he was asleep in Wales when he won the award, and he had to be woken up at 4:00 a.m. to be told about it. Hopkins' representatives had "pleaded for him" to be allowed to join the Oscars from Zoom because he didn't want to travel to participate in it in-person amid the pandemic, IndieWire reports. But producers had decided that no nominee would be permitted to Zoom into the Oscars, and, well, here we are.
Hopkins in his Instagram video paid tribute to Boseman, noting he "was taken from us far too early." Well, that might have been a nicer note to go out on during the actual Oscars, right? Brendan Morrow
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Swiss bliss: Chenot Palace Weggis takes wellness to the next level
The Blend Heath retreat on Switzerland's Lake Lucerne offers a mid-winter reset
By Felix Bischof Published
-
Earth's mini-moon was the moon all along
Under the radar More lunar rocks are likely floating in space
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: February 4, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' ignite holiday box office
Speed Read The combination of the two movies revitalized a struggling box office
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appeal
Speed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Quincy Jones, music icon, is dead at 91
Speed Read The legendary producer is perhaps best known as the architect behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published