Meryl Streep wins BAFTA Award and loses a slipper (SLYT)

February 12, 2012 4:00 PM

Meryl Streep won the BAFTA Best Actress Award for The Iron Lady. Colin Firth retrieved the slipper she lost on the way up the steps and MC Stephen Fry referred to them as Prince Charming and Cinderella.
posted by Anitanola (49 comments total)

Spoilers, sweetie! Spoilers!

(The BAFTA awards don't start airing on BBC America for another hour, give or take.)
posted by hippybear at 4:03 PM on February 12, 2012 [2 favorites]

Very, very adorable. Firth seems like a really wonderful guy.
posted by bearwife at 4:05 PM on February 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

Speaking of spoilers, BBC's Twitter feed gave away the results as the awards were being handed out - some two hours before the award show was broadcast on BBC. Odd how BBC would sabotage its own broadcast?
posted by kariebookish at 4:07 PM on February 12, 2012 [2 favorites]

Margaret Atwood shout-out in an acceptance speech?? Sweet.
posted by hepta at 4:07 PM on February 12, 2012 [2 favorites]

MC Stephen Fry is so going to be my new hip-hop name.
posted by PlusDistance at 4:08 PM on February 12, 2012 [13 favorites]

zomg something related to Stephen Fry.

*click click whirrrrrrrrrrrrrrr click*

Commence datalink.
posted by lazaruslong at 4:22 PM on February 12, 2012 [2 favorites]

Very, very adorable. Firth seems like a really wonderful guy.

I thought so too until [SPOILERS]
posted by 2bucksplus at 4:34 PM on February 12, 2012 [6 favorites]

Very, very adorable. Firth seems like a really wonderful guy.

Completely - the way he half-runs to retrieve her shoe for her is so endearing!
posted by mossicle at 4:35 PM on February 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

That is absurdly, fabulously charming.
posted by BlahLaLa at 4:38 PM on February 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

"Spoilers, sweetie! Spoilers!"

I so apologize; I'm so ashamed. Please forgive me.
posted by Anitanola at 4:39 PM on February 12, 2012

Oh, I'm mostly making a joke. In today's globally connected world, spoilers are the least of all things one should worry about. You're forgiven, as long as you forgive me for making a lame attempt at site-specific humor.
posted by hippybear at 4:43 PM on February 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

I love it that people are so quick here and I couldn't believe this hadn't been posted--now I understand.
posted by Anitanola at 4:45 PM on February 12, 2012

Firth is universally adored by all of his co-stars (and that includes Streep, of course, from Mamma Mia!, which, regardless of anyone's opinion of its quality, was reported to be an unmitigated joy to film by all of the actors in it.

If you want to continue to be charmed out of your... shoes... by Firth, here is his appearance on Inside the Actors Studio:

Part 1 of 3
Part 2 of 3
Part 3 of 3

And here's Meryl on Actors Studio, from back in 1998:

Full episode.
posted by tzikeh at 4:51 PM on February 12, 2012 [16 favorites]

QUEEN MERYL ugh you are so fantastic Colin Firth jogs over in a tux to pick up your shoe
posted by zennish at 4:52 PM on February 12, 2012 [5 favorites]

Also, The Onion nailed it back in December.
posted by tzikeh at 4:57 PM on February 12, 2012 [6 favorites]

I think we need a "dreamy" tag. Or a "swoon" tag. Or maybe just a "colinfirth" tag, since it's functionally the same thing.
posted by duvatney at 5:06 PM on February 12, 2012 [7 favorites]

Gawd, he is Perfect.
posted by thinkpiece at 5:15 PM on February 12, 2012

Streep is fantastic in this but the movie itself was a bit of a slog to get through with its uneven flashbackery
posted by unliteral at 5:16 PM on February 12, 2012

I think we need a "dreamy" tag. Or a "swoon" tag. Or maybe just a "colinfirth" tag, since it's functionally the same thing.

He's not even my type, but Firth makes me go *ping*.
posted by hippybear at 5:29 PM on February 12, 2012

In regards to 2bucksplus' comment: I've always thought that there should be an award for memorable parts too small to be Supporting Actor/Actress - this year would be tough between Benedict Cumberbatch and Colin Firth from TTSS, Sid from The Descendants, Anna Kendrick from 50/50, and the dog from The Artist.
posted by troika at 5:33 PM on February 12, 2012 [2 favorites]

this year would be tough between Benedict Cumberbatch and Colin Firth from TTSS,

Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hardy are both up for Best Supporting Actor at The British Independent Film Awards for their roles in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. The roles aren't too small to be considered for Best Supporting nods (Judi Dench won Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars for a role in which she was on screen for a total of eight minutes--hell, Anthony Hopkins won Best Actor as Hannibal Lecter for only twenty minutes of screen time, and deservedly so). The problem is that there are only so many slots for each category's nomination. They were both certainly eligible.
posted by tzikeh at 5:42 PM on February 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

It's nice when nice people are nice and do nice things.
posted by Capt. Renault at 5:51 PM on February 12, 2012 [13 favorites]

Streep is fantastic in this but the movie itself was a bit of a slog to get through with its uneven flashbackery

Yeah, I can think of few people I'd less want to watch a whitewashed biography of. "Hitler:The Artist Years" would be more appealing.
posted by Artw at 6:00 PM on February 12, 2012 [11 favorites]

Totally out of breath and put off her stride by shoe loss, she still delivers her speech with poise. Amazing.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 6:02 PM on February 12, 2012 [5 favorites]

It's hard to be Colin Firth.
posted by nicebookrack at 6:46 PM on February 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

Can I just say how much I love Tilda Swinton? She seems like a wonderful, insane woman and I wish to be a follower in the Cult of SWINTON.
posted by book 'em dano at 6:54 PM on February 12, 2012 [7 favorites]

Tilda Swinton is a person upon who i feel could be bestowed the ultimate British honor: They could make her Doctor Who.
posted by Artw at 7:01 PM on February 12, 2012 [28 favorites]

Can I just say how much I love Tilda Swinton? She seems like a wonderful, insane woman and I wish to be a follower in the Cult of SWINTON.

Agree!! The whole clip is wonderful, Streep and Firth and Fry are wonderful, but my first thought was "Ah. They have pleased Swinton. Swinton is pleased."
posted by sweetkid at 7:11 PM on February 12, 2012 [9 favorites]

Tilda Swinton, She Who Was Pleased, and must one day be declared the Doctor, has had a (sadly rather meh) haiku contest held in her honor and has an "orange-colored-things-including-pumpkin" perfume.
posted by likeso at 7:15 PM on February 12, 2012 [2 favorites]

Interesting that she won the BAFTA, I was under the impression, probably from this New Yorker bit, that this movie was seen as kind of embarrassing in Britain.
posted by yarrow at 7:21 PM on February 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

Awesome people, being awesome. Thanks. This made me smile. :-)
posted by dorkydancer at 7:37 PM on February 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

^yarrow - lots of actors win acting awards for crap films. Nothing new there.
posted by tzikeh at 7:50 PM on February 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

Totally out of breath and put off her stride by shoe loss, she still delivers her speech with poise. Amazing.

My favorite part about it was her look of incredulity and exasperation as she starts down the aisle and suddenly realizes, "My purse! Oh crap, I'm still holding my purse! Eject! Eject!"

It was almost a little Golden Globes-y, the way she appeared overwhelmed by the whole thing and not quite sober.

OK, and who decided to model the BAFTA award after the Mask?
posted by psoas at 7:55 PM on February 12, 2012 [3 favorites]

Anitanola, we really need you to add both a colinfirth and a tildaswinton tag. And maybe a perfectlyadorablemoment tag, as well.
posted by likeso at 8:19 PM on February 12, 2012 [3 favorites]

If she did not say “OOH MR DARCY” exactly at that moment then I cannot in good conscience respect her as a serious thespian or even as a human being ever again.

also where is the OOH MR DARCY tag goddammit
posted by elizardbits at 9:08 PM on February 12, 2012 [6 favorites]

*hiss* MINE! Colin Firth is my imaginary movie boyfriend. STAY AWAY FROM MY FANTASY YOU CRAZY PEOPLE.
posted by Belle O'Cosity at 9:30 PM on February 12, 2012 [4 favorites]

I understand the angst about the movie and its portrayal of the Thatcher years, I really do. But, my god, Streep is unbelievable in the role. We are watching an artist at the height of her powers. Unbelievable. As a middle-aged male, she is, well, orgasmic, in her performance.
posted by vac2003 at 10:20 PM on February 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

As a middle-aged male, she is, well, orgasmic, in her performance.

Please help me parse this sentence.
posted by hippybear at 10:42 PM on February 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

Please help me parse this sentence.

My bad. I meant to say, "I am a middle-aged male. When I watch her in this role, I am, well, orgasmic." Or something like that....
posted by vac2003 at 10:46 PM on February 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

Streep is fantastic in this but the movie itself was a bit of a slog to get through with its uneven flashbackery

I have an irrational hatred of Streep and a quite rational hatred of Thatcher, so the combination is infuriating enough that even the posters can put me in a foul mood.
posted by MartinWisse at 11:08 PM on February 12, 2012 [2 favorites]

Not a Colin Firth fan, but I could appreciate, when he pinned Streep's shoe down, that he had done this before. This is a man who's *used* to retrieving lost pumps for glamorous women.

And the whole thing pleased Tilda Swinton. If the clip had a couple of cuddling cats and someone falling off a skateboard, the Internet would have totally peaked.
posted by kandinski at 12:48 AM on February 13, 2012 [3 favorites]

I can think of few people I'd less want to watch a whitewashed biography of. "Hitler:The Artist Years" would be more appealing.

Yeah, Max was pretty good.
posted by rory at 3:08 AM on February 13, 2012 [4 favorites]

Everyone's mom has a crush on Colin Firth, it seems.
posted by pxe2000 at 4:08 AM on February 13, 2012

Everyone's mom has a crush on Colin Firth, it seems

Everyone and their mom has a crush on Colin Firth.

Fixed that for you.
posted by slimepuppy at 4:16 AM on February 13, 2012 [5 favorites]

Everyone's mom has a crush on Colin Firth, it seems

Everyone and their mom has a crush on Colin Firth.

Fixed that for you.

Everyone and their mom and one of their brothers has a crush on Colin Firth.
posted by halfbuckaroo at 5:10 AM on February 13, 2012 [7 favorites]

Yeah, Max was pretty good.

"Hey Hitler, you want to come for hot chocolate?" Heh.
posted by Capt. Renault at 5:26 AM on February 13, 2012 [1 favorite]

The saddest part is, the highly-edited BBC America broadcast of this left out the cinderella comment after the incident.
posted by hippybear at 6:25 AM on February 13, 2012 [1 favorite]

It's nice when nice people are nice and do nice things.

I know you're Capt. Renault, but I couldn't help hearing this in the voice of President Merkin Muffly from Dr. Strangelove.
posted by gauche at 8:01 AM on February 13, 2012

Just saw the movie. I thought the unevenness was really pretty good as a technique, given that we're seeing the flashbacks through the eyes of Thatcher-with-Alzheimer's. Streep really is brilliant in the role, as usual. Someone (elsewhere) commented that they wish she would stop doing biopics. I think they are a fantastic canvas for her. It occurs to me that relatively few (understatement) non-biopics focus so single-mindedly on female protagonists, which would make this kind of movie the logical choice for a woman with such enormous acting muscles to flex.
posted by bardophile at 1:15 AM on February 18, 2012 [1 favorite]