Saoirse shines in black at BAFTAS
»»stars unite in black for time’s up protest »»Kate goes for green in a ‘tricky situation’
STARS turned the red carpet black with their outfits at the EE Bafta awards though the Time’s Up movement put the Duchess of Cambridge in a dilemma.
While others last night wore dark clothes in protest at sexual harassment in the movie industry, Kate, 36, wore a green Jenny Packham dress.
The pregnant Duchess was said to have been in a “diplomatic minefield”, as protocol dictates the Royal Family do not take public political stances.
As Gary Oldman, 59, took Best Actor for Darkest Hour, stars including Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Lawrence honoured a letter urging attendees to back the campaign against Hollywood’s “darkest hour”.
Shortly before Kate and Prince William arrived, campaigners in Time’s Up T-shirts staged a noisy liedown protest on the red carpet.
Opening the awards at the Royal Albert Hall, in Kensington, West London, host Joanna Lumley said: “This is where exactly 100 years ago it celebrated the first group of British women being given the vote.
“A century ago the suffragettes laid the groundwork for the kind of dogged resistance and powerful protest that is carried through today with the Time’s Up movement.”
Winners acknowledged the movement. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri star Frances Mcdor-
mand, 60, who took Best Actress, collected her gong in a colourful dress. She said: “I have a bit of trouble with compliance but I stand in full solidarity with my sisters in black.”
Co-star Sam Rockwell, 49, who won Best Supporting Actor, said: “I stand on shoulders of strong, intelligent, righteous women, who have made my life complete.”
The film’s Irish writer Martin Mcdonagh, 47, who collected the Best Film award, said the movie was particularly poignant as it features “a woman who refuses to take any sh*t, played by a woman who has never taken any sh*t”.
Gary Oldman thanked Sir Winston Churchill, who he played Darkest Hour, for “holding the line for honour, for integrity and freedom for his nation and the world”.
The Fellowship award went to filmmaker Sir Ridley Scott. His latest movie, All the Money in the World, had to be recast after lead actor Kevin Spacey was accused of sexual assault.
Bafta president Prince William presented the gong, and an insider said of his wife’s outfit: “Kate was in a tricky situation. The royals have to be careful about politics and controversial issues but some might say she should’ve been braver.”
Kensington Palace declined to comment.
The all-black dress code came after a letter urged stars to “continue the incredible movement this side of the Atlantic”. Actors wore black at the Golden Globes in the US last month.
Separately, more than 190 female British stars wrote an open letter demanding an end to harassment.
While Daniel Kaluuya, 28, who won the EE Rising Star Award for Get Out, took his mother Damalie. He said: “My mum is the reason why I started, the reason why I’m here and the reason why I keep going.”
Other, more established names attending included Naomie Harris, 41, Lupita Nyong’o, 34 and Sir Patrick Stewart, 77. Guillermo Del Toro, The Shape Of Water
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