Rebel Wilson, one of the most memorable hosts of the BAFTAs in recent years, did not disappoint as a host.
The Pitch Perfect actor stole the show on Sunday during the inaugural BAFTA Awards, which will take place in person following a groundbreaking review of the diversity of organizations in 2020.
Wilson presented the award for best director at the 2020 ceremony and blew the floor with his gag speech that in one fell swoop managed to burn Prince Harry, Prince Andrew, COVID-19 (then just a conceptual threat to Brits), the lack of a swag bag, “Cats (in which she starred) and the lack of female nominees for Best Director.
No one was spared Wilson’s many taunts during the 2022 ceremony either.
Although not every joke reached the British audience – and was further complicated by the cavernous acoustics of the Royal Albert Hall – one participant remarked that Wilson deserved a standing ovation for his duties as presenter.
The absence of Prince William, who is BAFTA president, and Princess Kate likely allowed Wilson to fight back, and the comedian certainly didn’t hold back in challenging the royals. At one point, speaking of the drama and horror inherent in all Best Picture nominees, Wilson joked that “Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah had it all. But, unfortunately, it was not nominated in this category.”
Later, in the same breath, she joked about the Prince Andrew musical at Pizza Express and auditioning for the Cats sequel.
While hosts rarely give up the stage for parodies with the audience at the BAFTAs, Wilson there threw away her old bras as consolation prizes and rolled out a Benedict Cumberbatch-faced cake to the Power of the Dog actor.
In a ceremony that was surprisingly apolitical, Wilson also made one of the few references to a full-blown war going on elsewhere in Ukraine, raising her middle finger to the camera and saying “It’s the same gesture in all languages” on “went on fuck” to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Elsewhere, Wilson highlighted the ongoing challenges for women in the industry. Sometimes it was hard to tell if she was joking or not and how much was based on personal experience. “My next film just flopped because the studio said it was a female film. But women are terrible drivers. Fuck you, Lionsgate,” she said to the audience’s chuckles.
And who could forget this line: “Whenever I want to make myself cry, I think how much Rock got paid for Jungle Cruise.”
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