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British actor takes BAFTA 2026 Film Award in biggest ‘upset’ - and dad’s reaction is moment of the night
The star beat the likes of Timothée Chalamet and Leonardo DiCaprio to secure a very well deserved best leading actor award.
Scott Garfitt/Getty
- Patrick Cremona
Published: Sunday, 22 February 2026 at 8:35 pm
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There was a major surprise at tonight's BAFTA Film Awards as Robert Aramayo took home the best leading actor award, ahead of major Hollywood stars including Marty Supreme's Timothée Chalamet and One Battle After Another's Leonardo DiCaprio.
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The British actor – a thoroughly deserving winner for his superb turn in I Swear – had already won the EE rising star award at the ceremony before his name was announced as the winner in the leading actor category by US actress Kerry Washington.
And a tearful Aramayo appeared more taken aback by anyone that he had beaten the star-studded competition to the award.
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"I absolutely can't believe this," he explained during his memorable speech. "I honestly cannot believe I have won this award. Everyone in this category blows me away."
Meanwhile, the passionate reaction from his father, whom Aramayo had previously thanked during his first acceptance speech of the night, was one of the moments of the night, as he celebrated wildly in the audience.
During his speech, the actor gave a touching anecdote about how one of his fellow nominees, Ethan Hawke, had come into his class to give a talk when he had been studying at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York.
Robert Aramayo accepts the Leading Actor Award for I Swear on stage during the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2026 at The Royal Festival Hall on February 22, 2026 in London, England. Photo by Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA)
"He gave an amazing talk on longevity as an actor," he explained. "It had a great impact on everyone in that room, and so to be in this category with you tonight is incredible. Thank you Ethan!"
In the other acting categories, Irish actress Jessie Buckley won best leading actress as had been widely expected for her turn in Hamnet, but there were also slight upsets in both the supporting categories, with Sinners star Wunmi Mosaku winning best supporting actress and One Battle After Another's Sean Penn being crowned best supporting actor.
Meanwhile, it was One Battle After Another which enjoyed the best night overall, winning six awards, including best film and both best adapted screenplay and best director for Paul Thomas Anderson.
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Authors
Patrick CremonaSenior Film Writer
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
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