Rourke's Profane Win at the BAFTAs
Mickey Rourke claims award with expletive-ridden speech but vows to change ways.
London, Feb. 9, 2009 — -- As the countdown to the Oscars continues, celebrities flocked to London Sunday night for the prestigious BAFTA awards. Kate Winslet, Brangelina and "Slumdog Millionaire" star Dev Patel worked the red carpet, pausing on the sidelines for interviews and autographs.
Meanwhile, Sharon Stone, Meryl Streep, Kristin Scott Thomas and Penelope Cruz-ed up the runway, too busy pouting for small talk.
"Slumdog Millionaire" picked up seven awards. The unpredicted success of the Indian romantic thriller continues to surpass expectations and defy the controversy surrounding the title and pay rates for the poor children acting in the film.
Film critic Mark Kermode dismissed all such criticism. "My own opinion is that 'Slumdog Millionaire' is head and shoulders above the other films," Kermode told ABC News. "There's no such thing as a hot awards contester that doesn't have controversy surrounding it. That's probably even more true in the U.S. with the Oscars."
Winslet outdid Jolie, Streep, Thomas and her own performance in "Revolutionary Road," as she came away with the BAFTA for leading actress in her role as a Nazi concentration camp guard in "The Reader." Winslet managed not to gush like her performance at the Golden Globes; instead, she produced a well-delivered speech expressing gratitude to her parents. After the ceremony, Winslet told ABC News how grateful she was "to be rewarded in this way at home."
The "Curious Case of Benjamin Button" scooped up three BAFTAs, but Brad Pitt missed out on the leading actor award, which went to the most memorable star of the night, Mickey Rourke.
As if being awarded the most highly sought BAFTA was not enough, Rourke made a real impression in his expletive-laden acceptance speech. The actor thanked his "rescuer" (his agent) for putting his career in jeopardy by representing him. And the industry for giving him a second chance "after f------ up my career for 15 years."
The audience loved it. Streep gasped, Brangelina giggled and Stone put her make-up at risk by crying.
