Robert Downey Jr acknowledges Christopher Nolan in his BAFTA speech

After securing the BAFTA for best supporting actor for Oppenheimer, Robert Downey Jr reflected on his film career and thanked director Christopher Nolan.

The actor said, “When I was 15, I wanted to be Peter O’Toole. When I was 25, I worked for Richard Attenbourgh and Anthony Hopkins. When I was 35, I finally understood why Dickie thought Tony would be a better role model for me than Peter. When I was 42, I did two films for Guy Ritchie and learned how to make big Hollywood movies with a civil British flare. I then played a guy named Tony in the MCU for about 12 years. And then recently, that dude Chris Nolan suggested I attempt an understated approach as a last-ditch effort to perhaps resurrect my dwindling credibility. So I share this with my fellow nominees, this has been an exceptional year.”

In Oppenheimer, he played United States Atomic Energy Commission memeber Lewis Strauss, who formed hostility towards Cylian Murphy's physicist character and looked to prove his disloyalty to the nation.

Downey Jr's fellow nominees in the category comprised Robert De Niro (Killers of the Flower Moon), Ryan Gosling (Barbie), Dominic Sessa (The Holdovers), Paul Mescal (All of Us Strangers), and Jacob Elordi (Saltburn). This is the actor's second BAFTA win; his first came for his role in 1992's Charlie Chaplin biopic.