A social media prankster appeared to crash the stage Sunday at the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with cast and crew members of Oppenheimer, seemingly unnoticed.
The purported YouTuber swayed back and forth while standing in the middle of the group as Christopher Nolan, Cillian Murphy and the “Oppenheimer” team took the stage at Royal Festival Hall to accept their award. He was visible in every camera shot but was not known to anyone on the stage, triggering serious questions about security. BAFTA is currently investigating the matter.
Oppenheimer producer Emma Thomas urged all the cast members to join those who had already made their way to the stage, saying: “Where are you? Come on, all of you!”
The prankster seized the moment.
The man who crashed the stage seemed ready for the occasion. He wore a full suit with a skinny black tie and accessorized his outfit with a brown hat. He blended in well enough to not raise any immediate red flags when he walked up the steps and nonchalantly stood among the “Oppenheimer” stars as they were honored with the best film award.
HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images
Most pranksters run across the stage for a few seconds of fame or quickly pass across a screen, but this man stayed the course and remained in his position until the end of the team’s acceptance speech.
A BAFTA spokesperson addressed the major security breach.
“A social media prankster was removed by security last night after joining the winners of the final award on stage – we are taking this very seriously, and don’t wish to grant him any publicity by commenting further,” the spokesperson said, according to Deadline.
The unidentified man has seemingly not shared the footage to his own social media account, and his identity remains a mystery. (RELATED: Cillian Murphy Launches ‘Big Things Films’)
BAFTA didn’t specify what they were doing to ensure this doesn’t happen again or how they plan on handling Sunday’s prankster.