Joaquin Phoenix gave the standout speech of the night at the Baftas after winning the Best Actor accolade.
The Joker star was one of the last stars to receive his trophy and taking to the stage at London’s Royal Albert Hall, he directly addressed the diversity controversy surrounding the ceremony.
When the shortlists were announced in January, Bafta were criticised for the fact all of the acting nominees were white.
And making his speech after being named winner, Phoenix admitted he felt “conflicted” at being rewarded.
He said: “I feel very honoured and privileged to be here tonight – Bafta has always been very supportive of my career and I’m deeply appreciative.
“ But I have to say that I also feel conflicted because so many of my fellow actors that are deserving don’t have that same privilege.”
“I think that we send a very clear message to people of colour that you’re not welcome here,” he continued. “I think that’s the message that we’re sending to people that have contributed so much to our medium and our industry and in ways that we benefit from.
“I don’t think anybody wants a hand-out or preferential treatment, although that’s what we give ourselves every year. I think people want to be appreciated and respected for their work.
“This is not a self-righteous condemnation because I am part of the problem, I have not done everything in my power – not all sets I’ve worked on are inclusive.
“I think that we really have to do the hard work to truly understand systemic racism… it is the obligation of the people that have created and perpetuated and benefit from a system of oppression to dismantle it, so that’s on us.”
Phoenix won over fellow nominees Leonardo DiCaprio, Adam Driver, Jonathan Pryce and Taron Egerton.
The Bafta was one of three won by the critically-acclaimed Joker. The biggest winner was Sir Sam Mendes’ war epic 1917, which took home ten prizes.
