Anthony Hopkins Pays Tribute to Chadwick Boseman in Video Acceptance Speech for Best Actor Oscar

There were plenty of massive surprises at Sunday night’s Academy Awards ceremony, the biggest of which came at the very end of the show. The producers of this year’s Oscars decided not to present the Best Picture award as the final award of the night, leaving Best Actor in a Leading Role for last. Many watching the broadcast took this to mean that the late Chadwick Boseman would be winning the award (he was the heavy favorite), and that the show would conclude with a tribute to the beloved actor. However, that’s not what happen, as Anthony Hopkins took home his second Oscar for his performance in The Father.

Hopkins wasn’t on-hand to accept the Oscar, which made everything feel even more anticlimactic. His name was announced and the show came to an end. Of course, none of this strangeness is the fault of Hopkins, one of the most acclaimed performers of our time. On Monday morning, following the drama of the Academy Awards, Hopkins posted an impromptu acceptance speech on Instagram, and he used the speech to offer a tribute to Chadwick Boseman. Take a look:

“I want to pay tribute to Chadwick Boseman,” Hopkins says, “who was taken from us far too early.”

“Thank you to The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Sony Pictures Classics, Florian Zeller, UTA, Jeremy Barber, Christine Crais, Mitch Smelkinson, Juan Miguel Arias, my wife, Stella, and family,” Hopkins wrote in the video’s caption.

Twice during the video, Hopkins says that he didn’t expect to win the award. In the lead-up to the Academy Awards, most of the Best Actor statues from other awards were given to Chadwick Boseman. His victory seemed like a pretty sure thing going into Sunday night.

This win marks the second Oscar for Hopkins, having won the award nearly 30 years ago for his portrayal of Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs. Hopkins and Boseman were up against Riz Ahmed, Gary Oldman, and Steven Yeun.

What did you think of Sunday night’s Academy Awards? Let us know in the comments!