‘We have brothers and sisters who are suffering’: Benedict Cumberbatch says he hopes to take in Ukrainian refugees as he shares his support for the war-torn country at the BAFTAs
Benedict Cumberbatch has revealed he hopes to take in Ukrainian refugees as he shared his support for the war-torn country while at the BAFTA 2022 Film Awards on Sunday.
The actor, 45, who is nominated for Best Actor thanks to his performance in The Power Of The Dog, took the opportunity to highlight the plight of his ‘brothers and sisters who are suffering’ in the wake of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking to Sky News on the red carpet of the event at London’s Royal Albert Hall, Benedict told how the suffering of millions of people can’t be ignored as the war is ‘something that hangs over us.’
Pledge: Benedict Cumberbatch has revealed he hopes to take in Ukrainian refugees as he shared his support for the war-torn country while at the BAFTA 2022 Film Awards on Sunday
He explained: ‘It is a really shocking time to be a European two and a half hours flight away from Ukraine, and it’s something that hangs over us’ before going on to note the ‘civilians who are being shelled and shot at, and killed and made homeless without power, without water, without food’.
And Benedict, who wore a Ukraine pin on his smart black tuxedo to show his support, continued: ‘And while tonight is a celebration and this might look like tokenism, we’re celebrating the moving image, we’re celebrating pictures… this is what I’m trying to do.
‘To show I’m standing side-by-side with my brothers and sisters who are going through this.
‘But we all need, as we know, to do more than wear a badge. We need to donate, we need to pressure our politicians to continue to create some kind of a refugee safety and haven here for people who are suffering.
Support: The actor, 45, took the opportunity to highlight the plight of his ‘brothers and sisters who are suffering’ in the wake of Vladimir Putin ‘s invasion of Ukraine (pictured earlier this week)
‘I know that’s ongoing, I know that’s happening but everyone needs to do as much as they can.’
And the film star, who was in attendance with wife Sophie Hunter, added that he hopes to get involved in the government’s humanitarian scheme and take in refugees himself after more than 2.6 million Ukrainians were forced to flee their homes.
He said: ‘I think already today the news has broken that there’s been a record number of people volunteering to take people into their homes, and I hope to be part of that myself.’
Meanwhile, fellow actor Stephen Graham also spoke out about the Ukraine crisis at the ceremony, adding to Sky News: It’s lovely to be here with my family but at the same time it’s important for me to acknowledge in public what is happening over there.’
Compassion: Speaking to Sky News on the red carpet of the event at London’s Royal Albert Hall, Benedict told how the suffering of millions of people can’t be ignored as the war is ‘something that hangs over us’
While Kenneth Brannagh, whose film Belfast is up for several awards, said: ‘The situations are utterly different but the human costs are the same. It is painful and tragic to see, I hope it ends very soon.’
It comes after BAFTA attendees were advised to ‘dress respectably’ due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
‘Several senior showbiz agents have advised stars to dress respectably, amid fears attention-grabbing dresses and suits would appear distasteful in light of the Ukraine conflict,’ a source told the Sun on Sunday.
Help: Benedict added that he hopes to get involved in the government’s humanitarian scheme and take in refugees himself after more than 2.6 million Ukrainians were forced to flee their homes
‘The last thing they want is something like Lady Gaga’s infamous meat dress or anything too controversial.’
The nominations for the BAFTA awards were announced last month with Dune, The Power Of The Dog and Belfast leading with 11, eight and six respectively.
Denis Villeneuve’s star-studded sci-fi epic landed a slew of technical nods, along with a nod for the top prize for Best Film, while Jane Campion’s dark Western and Kenneth Branagh’s Irish biopic follows close behind with eight and six respectively.
It looks set to be a competitive evening in the acting categories, with Lady Gaga, Caitriona Balfe and Benedict Cumberbatch battling it out for the leading honours, alongside newcomers Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ariana DeBose and Adeel Akhtar.
View: Meanwhile, fellow actor Stephen Graham also spoke out about the Ukraine crisis at the ceremony, adding to Sky News: It’s lovely to be here with my family but at the same time it’s important for me to acknowledge in public what is happening over there’
After its success at the Golden Globes, the dark Western The Power of the Dog landed eight nominations, including Best Film, Director and Adapted Screenplay for Jane Campion, Leading Actor for Benedict Cumberbatch, Original Score, Cinematography, and two nominations in the Supporting Actor category for Kodi Smit-McPhee and Jesse Plemons
Following close behind is Belfast, which landed six nods despite an unexpected snub for Kenneth in the Director category.
It comes after explosions were heard on the outskirts of the western Ukrainian city of Lviv after Russian forces launched an attack on a military base just 12 miles from the Polish border, killing at least nine people and injuring dozens more.
Thoughts: While Kenneth Brannagh, whose film Belfast is up for several awards, said: ‘The situations are utterly different but the human costs are the same. It is painful and tragic to see, I hope it ends very soon’
Vladimir Putin’s forces launched a missile strike on the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security, also known as Yavoriv military complex, just before 6am this morning.
Initial reports suggested the base had been targeted by eight missiles, but Maksym Kozytskyi, Governor of the region later confirmed 30 cruise missiles had been fired, killing nine people and injuring 57.
The base has previously been used to host Nato drills and up until recently has housed foreign military instructors, although its unclear if any have been caught up in the strike.
BAFTAs 2022: THE WINNERS
Best Film
The Power of the Dog- WINNER
Belfast
Don’t Look Up
Dune
Licorice Pizza
Outstanding British Film
Belfast- WINNER
After Love
Ali & Ava
Boiling Point
Cyrano
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
House of Gucci
Last Night in Soho
No Time To Die
Passing
Best Film: Dune is up for the big going as well as 10 more gongs
Leading Actress
Joanna Scanlan, After Love – WINNER
Lady Gaga, House of Gucci
Alana Haim, Licorice Pizza
Emilia Jones, CODA
Renata Reinsve, The Worst Person in the World
Tessa Thompson, Passing
Leading Actor
Will Smith, King Richard- WINNER
Adeel Akhtar, Ali & Ava
Mahershala Ali, Swansong
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog
Leonardo DiCaprio, Don’t Look Up
Stephen Graham, Boiling Point
Supporting Actress
Victory: Ariana DeBose was awarded the gong for Best Supporting Actress
Ariana DeBose, West Side Story – WINNER
Caitríona Balfe, Belfast
Jessie Buckley, The Lost Daughter
Ruth Negga, Passing
Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard
Ann Dowd, Mass
Supporting Actor
Congrats: Troy Kotsur got Supporting Actor for his role in Coda
Troy Kotsur, CODA- WINNER
Mike Faist, West Side Story
Ciarán Hinds, Belfast
Woody Norman, C’mon C’mon
Jesse Plemons, The Power of the Dog
Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog
Director
Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog- WINNER
Aleem Khan, After Love
Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Drive My Car
Audrey Diwan, Happening
Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza
Julia Ducournau, Titane
Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer
The Harder They Fall- WINNER
After Love
Boiling Point
Keyboard Fantasies
Passing
Adapted Screenplay
CODA- WINNER
Drive My Car
Dune
The Lost Daughter
The Power of the Dog
Original Screenplay
Licorice Pizza- WINNER
Being the Ricardos
Belfast
Don’t Look Up
King Richard
EE Rising Star Award
EE Rising Star Award: Bond star Lashana Lynch won
Lashana Lynch -WINNER
Harris Dickinson
Millicent Simmonds
Kodi Smit-McPhee
Ariana DeBose
Cinematography
Dune- WINNER
Nightmare Alley
No Time To Die
The Power of the Dog
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Animated Film
Encanto- WINNER
Flee
Luca
The Mitchells vs The Machines
Documentary
Summer of Soul (Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)- WINNER
Becoming Cousteau
Cow
Flee
The Rescue
Film Not in the English Language
Drive My Car- WINNER
The Hand of God
Parallel Mothers
Petite Maman
The Worst Person in the World
Costume Design
Costume Design: Cruella won the gong
Cruella- WINNER
Cyrano
Dune
The French Dispatch
Nightmare Alley
Make Up & Hair
The Eyes of Tammy Faye- WINNER
Cruella
Cyrano
Dune
House of Gucci
Original Score: Don’t Look Up is up for a gong
Original Score
Dune – WINNER
Being The Ricardos
Don’t Look Up
The French Dispatch
The Power of the Dog
Editing
No Time To Die- WINNER
Belfast
Dune
Licorice Pizza
Summer of Soul (Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
Production Design
Dune – WINNER
Cyrano
The French Dispatch
Nightmare Alley
West Side Story
Sound
Dune – WINNER
Last Night in Soho
No Time to Die
A Quiet Place Part II
West Side Story
Special Visual Effects
Dune- WINNER
British Short Animation
Casting
Boiling Point
The Hand of God
King Richard
West Side Story
Editing: Black and white film Belfast is nominated
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