Anthony Hopkins has broken his silence following his shock Oscar win to heap praise on fellow nominee Chadwick Boseman.
The Silence of the Lambs star was asleep in his native Wales when he was named Best Actor for his role in The Father in the final category of Sunday's hybrid prizegiving from Union Station in Los Angeles and was not available to give a live acceptance speech.
His publicist thanked the Academy on his famous client's behalf on Monday, and now, Hopkins has responded in a video posted to his Instagram page.
"Here I am in my homeland in Wales," he began. "At 83 years of age, I did not expect to get this award, I really didn't. I'm very grateful to the Academy. Thank you.
"I want to pay tribute to Chadwick Boseman, who was taken from us far too early. Again, thank you all very much. I really did not expect this, I feel very privileged and honoured, thank you."
In his Instagram post, he also thanked the team at Sony Pictures Classics, director Florian Zeller, and "my wife and family", among others.
It was Hopkins's second Oscar win - he also took home the prize for his portrayal of Hannibal Lecter in 1991's The Silence of The Lambs.
Upon waking to discover he was a 2021 Oscar winner, Hopkins called The Father director Zeller while he was appearing on BBC Radio 4 to discuss the film's success at the Academy Awards - the filmmaker took home the Best Adapted Screenplay gong for the script he co-wrote with Christopher Hampton.
Meanwhile, the accolade also puts Hopkins into the record books. He is now the oldest actor to win an Oscar in the acting categories, passing the late Christopher Plummer, who was 82 when he won gold for Beginners in 2011.
