Rebel Wilson jokes she'll be next James Bond in BAFTAs 2022 speech
The Australian actress is hosting the in-person event tonight at London's Royal Albert Hall
Rebel Wilson's opening speech at tonight's BAFTA Film Awards 2022 included her joking about being cast as the next 007.
"Bond is turning 60 and his girlfriend is turning 25," Wilson joked. "I know there's speculation in the audience it might be them, [during which the camera spanned to Pam & Tommy's Sebastian Stan and Oscar winner Daniel Kaluuya].
"Boys, hold on to your martinis, this is a scoop, the Broccoli's said I could announce it, OK. I'm proud to announce that the new James Bond will be me."
She also joked about how the 007 logo could be changed to include nipples to reflect a woman's breasts.
The Hollywood star is hosting the in-person event, which is being held at London's Royal Albert Hall.
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As she introduced Emilia Jones' musical performance, she explained that there would be two sign language interpreters on stage.
Jones plays a teenage girl who is the only hearing member of her deaf family in the film CODA, for which she is nominated for Leading Actress.
"And this is the gesture for Putin," Wilson commented before raising her middle finger, in a moment blurred by the BBC.
Jones, who is nominated for Leading Actress, performed her rendition of Joni Mitchell’s 'Both Sides Now', taken from her film CODA.
Meanwhile, BAFTA chair Krishnendu Majumdar opened the ceremony with a statement to show solidarity with Ukraine in response to the ongoing conflict in the country.
"Together with our colleagues at the Ukrainian Film Academy, we stand in solidarity and hope for a return to peace," he said. "We're hugely grateful to the journalists covering Ukraine, many of whom are BAFTA members. Our thoughts are with the people of Ukraine as well as those affected by other conflicts around the world."
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The legendary Dame Shirley Bassey opened the show with a performance of iconic Bond theme Diamonds are Forever, to celebrate 60 years of Bond.
Nominees in the audience include Benedict Cumberbatch, Passing's Tessa Thompson, Alaina Haim, No Time To Die's Lashana Lynch, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Lady Gaga, The Worst Person in the World's Renate Reinsve, and Boiling Point's Stephen Graham.
Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi epic Dune leads tonight's BAFTA 2022 nominations with 11 nods, followed by Jane Campion's Western drama The Power of the Dog with eight nominations and Sir Kenneth Branagh's semi-autobiographical drama Belfast with six.
Looking for something else to watch? Check out our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight. For more film news, have a look at our Movies hub.
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