BBC responds after Zoe Saldaña's expletive BAFTAs speech cut in broadcast

"This is so validating and a true honour, because the very few times that I went for a part with a British accent, the dialect coach as like, 'This is not going to happen for you'.

"And even though I do love a British accent and I have a lot of British friends, I always find myself just repeating their phrases like, 'gather' and 'of course' and 'I know that I'm a pain in the a**e'. But luckily I'm still friends with most of them. Right, Kate [Winslet]?"

The actress went on to thank BAFTA for the award, adding: "This was a creative challenge of a lifetime. How do you begin to even approach a film that just defies categorisation, and you start by taking the leap with Jacques Audiard, so thank you very much. I want to thank my wonderful cast."

Saldaña continued her speech and thanked her co-stars, including Selena Gomez and Karla Sofia Gascón, before shouting three expletives as she noticed a countdown for her speech to wrap up.

She concluded the speech: "Films are supposed to change hearts and challenge minds, and I hope that Emilia Pérez did something like this, because voices need to be heard. Just not my English accent."

Saldaña's full speech is available to watch on the BAFTAs YouTube channel.

A BBC spokesperson told RadioTimes.com: "The nature of the show is that it's broadcast with a short delay, and edits have to be made due to time constraints."

Emilia Pérez also took home the award for Best Film Not in the English Language, with director Audiard dedicating the award to "everyone who worked tirelessly on this film".

Saldaña is nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Emilia Pérez at this year's Oscars, with the film also nominated for Best Picture, Best International Film and Best Adapted Screenplay, among others.

The EE BAFTA Film Awards took place on Sunday 16th February 2025.

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