BAFTA Awards 2009

Brad Pitt Serves As Butt of Mick Jagger's Joke

By Stephen M. Silverman

02/09/2009 at 05:45 AM EST

Mick Jagger delivered the top prize – to the evening's big winner, Slumdog Millionaire – and the best line of the evening – about Brad Pitt – at Sunday's 2009 British Academy Film Awards.

Explaining what he was doing at a movie event the same night as the Grammys, the Rolling Stone said he was part of a rock star-movie star exchange program.

"Sir Anthony Hopkins is in the recording studio with Amy Winehouse," joked Jagger, "and we are hoping that next week Sir Brad and all the Pitt family will be performing The Sound of Music at the Brit awards."

Sitting in the audience with fellow nominee (for Changeling) Angelina Jolie, Pitt cracked up and applauded along with the rest of the crowd inside London's Royal Opera House.

While Danny Boyle's Slumdog picked up seven BAFTAs – best film, director, screenplay, score, sound, editing and cinematography – Pitt's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button racked up three: for production design, makeup and hair and special visual effects.

Winslet Verged on Tears

The Reader best actress Kate Winslet attended the ceremony with her parents. "I'd like to thank my Mum and Dad, who I won't look at right now or I will burst into tears," Winslet said at the podium.

BAFTA leading actress winner, for The Reader, Kate Winslet

Dave Hogan / Getty

Afterwards, Winslet, who also won the Golden Globe and the SAG supporting actress award for her role as a German with secrets to hide, told reporters: "I'm feeling so happy, I can't tell you. It means such a lot to be given this at home. I really didn't expect it … The girl from Reading will always be in me, and at times like this I feel it more than ever."

The Wrestler best actor, Mickey Rourke, mirroring his Golden Globe victory, thanked director Darren Aronofsky for the second chance he was given "after f---ing up my career for 15 years." Rourke, dedicating his award to his pal, the late actor Richard Harris, also thanked costar Marisa Tomei.

"She's such a hell of a talent," said Rourke, "and it was very brave of her to take her clothes off all the time, and I enjoyed looking at her."

Heath Wins Another One

Heath Ledger repeated his Golden Globe and SAG Award wins as best supporting actor, for The Dark Knight, and Penelope Cruz was honored for her supporting role in Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

"I am always surprised when I win something," said Cruz, "because I've been working since I was 16. so I am much more used to losing than to winning."

At the New York BAFTA viewing party, the crowd's biggest hand of the evening went to the on-screen tribute to Paul Newman, who died in September.

• Reporting by SIMON PERRY

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