Sacha Baron Cohen punked Hollywood when he accepted the Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for Excellence in Comedy on Saturday night. The “Borat” star shocked the black-tie crowd that included George Clooney and Julia Roberts by “accidentally” pushing Grace Cullington – an elderly woman wheeled on stage and billed the oldest living actress to have worked with Chaplin – into the audience.
Cullington arrived on stage at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in a wheelchair with presenter Salma Hayek, who said that the elderly woman, “appeared in ‘City Lights’ in 1931 at the age of 5… At 87, she is the oldest living actor to have worked with Chaplin in a silent movie.” Stills of Chaplin and Cullington as a little girl were displayed on-screen.
When Cohen accepted his Chaplin award, Cullington poignantly presented him with what she said was Chaplin’s cane from “City Lights,” Cohen began charmingly using it as prop to mimic Chaplin’s funny walk.
But then – to the horror of the audience – Cohen slipped and fell behind Cullington’s wheelchair, propelling the elderly woman off the stage and into the crowd.
As the audience gasped, Cohen jumped off the stage to her aid. A security guard eventually slung the limp old lady over his shoulder and carried her off.
Said Cohen during his subsequent acceptance speech: “Grace Cullington is the oldest, no, sorry, was the oldest surviving [Chaplin co-star]. I dedicate my award to her. This is obviously a tragedy. She has upstaged me. But on the bright side, what a great way to go, giving an award to me. Thus, she’ll probably make the Oscars In Memoriam segment.”
The comic added: “I’d like to say a few words to her family: Do not try to sue me. If you decide to get the lawyers involved, I will take you down just like I did your granny. The cane that woman forced on me was clearly defective and I’ve got lots of witnesses. At least 400 in this room and at least 500 watching on TV. Anyway, tonight is not about her, it’s about me.”
Cullington, it turns out, was a stunt woman. An insider told us, “[Host] Rob Brydon had to calm people down after the stunt who thought it was real. People in the audience were jumping up and wanted to give her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.” And, “Sacha personally hired that lady who came out in a wheelchair. She was 75 years old.”
The BAFTA awards show aired on Sunday.