Oh no! Are Saoirse’s chances of an Oscar scuppered?
ALL THE NEWS AND FASHION FROM THE BAFTAS
RADICAL chic was very much back in vogue at the Baftas in London last night as almost every actress on the carpet wore black with many emphasising their campaigning credentials by arriving with an activist on their arm.
It was the most openly political night in Bafta history, with female nominees urged to follow the example of last month’s Golden Globes and wear all-black. Some actresses brought women activists as their plus one.
Irish nominees Saoirse Ronan and Caitriona Balfe were among the stars who shunned colour in solidarity with the Time’s Up the movement, launched following the sexual harassment scandal which engulfed Hollywood after allegations were made against producer Harvey Weinstein.
Angelina Jolie attended with Loung Ung, whose memoir formed the basis of her film First They Killed My Father about a girl who suffered the horrors of the killing fields in Cambodia.
Gemma Arterton’s guests were Eileen Pullen and Gwen Davis, now in their 80s, who were involved in the equal pay protests at Ford’s Dagenham east London plant 50 years ago in 1968.
Andrea Riseborough’s guest was Phyll Opoku-Gyimah who co-founded UK Black Pride in 2005 to showcase black gay culture in Britain.
A group of female protesters wearing Time’s Up Theresa T-shirts invaded the red carpet at the Royal Albert Hall, chanting: ‘Sisters, united, we’ll never be defeated.’
The feminist group Sisters Uncut said it was behind the protest to call on the British prime minister to halt cuts to domestic violence services.
Many male attendees wore Time’s Up lapel badges and the event was hosted by Joanna Lumley – its first female host since 2001.
Ms Lumley, 71, hailed the Time’s Up movement as a continuation of the ‘dogged determination’ of the suffragettes 100 years earlier.
Bafta did not request attendees to wear black but a letter circulated in advance from ‘a collective of UK-based female film and television industry leaders’ said ‘we feel it is important to make a statement to show global solidarity’.
Best Actress winner Frances McDormand, who wore red, said in her speech: ‘I have a little trouble with compliance, but I stand in full solidarity tonight with my sisters in black.’ She added: ‘Power to the people.’
A minor diplomatic crisis almost blew up in some quarters when Kate Middleton broke ranks with the actresses and chose to wear green. As with most royal families, tradition dictates that members avoid anything that could be construed as a political statement, but there had been speculation Kate could wear a patterned black gown to demonstrate she backed the movement, but also respected royal protocol.
‘I stand in full solidarity’