Good lord, Benedict Cumberbatch is trying to kill me! I mean, I’m actually sort of grateful that Harvey Weinstein has orchestrated The Oversaturation of The Batch, because it gives us something to talk about, like, every single day. But it is TOO MUCH, you know? I’m worried. Anyway, everything that I said yesterday was wrong. Bendy was only in LA for less than 24 hours by my count. He was back in London last night for the Moet British Independent Film Awards. Sophie Hunter, his lover and fiancée, was on his arm. Because she’s super-supportive, you guys.
What else? Well, I’m glad to see that Sophie did not wear another floral gown for this red carpet. That proves to me that she’s actually reading some of the comments on Twitter and on the blogs, from people complaining about her over-reliance on floral dresses (especially given Bendy’s specific name-check of certain groups of female fans as “The Florals”). Sophie’s dress last night was Emilia Wickstead. It’s leather and that collar is too much, I think. Her little box-clutch is super-awkward too, and I wish she would change up her hair game, but whatever. Does she look pregnant? Or is she just carrying a very small pasta baby?
Anyway, Bendy had to come to the awards show because they announced a month ago that he would receive the Variety Award for “helping to focus the international spotlight on the UK.” It’s a good thing he won that, because The Imitation Game was completely shut out of all of the other awards! TIG was nominated in most of the major categories and… nothing. No awards. As for Bendy’s speech for the Variety Award, here’s a partial transcript:
“Oh holy crap. Thank you so much, it’s a very strange experience to be in your own audience. It’s a ridiculous honour to be here, not least because of the output and the standard of previous recipients. I feel this is a very premature way to acknowledge mine, but it will inspire me to work harder to feel like I deserve it, and that won’t really be difficult because I love my job. I love my industry, I love the people I get to work with, a lot of whom are in this room, I love the communities and the families that each job brings together, and I love how proud we can all be in taking stock of moments like this, and how proud we can be as filmmakers in the UK who in spite, or maybe because of not having a studio system, is a world leader.
“And it’s not just the people in this room we should be celebrating, it’s the armies of craftsmen who are the envy of the world and keep the world coming back for more business here. Chippies, electricians, riggers, drivers, security men, location scouts and managers, costume assistants, runners and camera and sound crews, casting directors, a few of whom are here tonight, and thank you very much for my career, costume assistants… I’ve said that already, but they really are amazing, they do the worst hours of any of us and do deserve a shout out, even if it’s twice, in the same speech… yes, and even our caterers deserve a shout out. So no matter how lonely or scared or ‘independent’ I feel standing up here, there are legions of people who supported me to a point where I can just get up in the morning and do my job.
“My home team: my mother and father and my fiancée Sophie. This belongs to all of you. Making you proud is a wonderful engine to do what I do.”
“My god, I don’t think I’ve ever been more nervous in my life. [No one wrote his speech] this is all my own mumbling outpourings. All of us as freelance artists and filmmakers crave autonomy, and to be independent and free from outside controls, anything that makes us dependent on politics or money or an outside authority. For me some of the most exciting moments in cinema are always when the odds are against you and authenticity is still achieved, the work triumphs in a spirit of independence. I’m thrilled to have had my success in some of the goliaths of the film industry, and I’m very happy with some of what you’ve seen tonight, but I owe coming into that sphere to the Davids of this world…in that overstretched analogy. Congratulations to everyone here, and happy Christmas.”
Good lord that man can talk. I don’t know what else to say except that Bendy puts Sophie with his parents in his laundry list of thank yous. I really do wonder if Wanda wholeheartedly approves of this mess?
Photos courtesy of WENN.
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