Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Dave Maclean

Oscars 2020: Brad Pitt says 45-second acceptance speech limit 'more than Senate gave John Bolton'

Brad Pitt got political as he picked up his first acting Oscar, saying the time limit for his acceptance speech was still longer than the time John Bolton had to testify at Donald Trump’s Senate impeachment trial.

The actor won Best Supporting Actor for his role in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and said: "They told me I only have 45 seconds up here, which is 45 seconds more than the Senate gave John Bolton this week."

Democrats had pushed for Mr Bolton to testify in front of the upper chamber after a copy of his upcoming book was leaked, and the former National Security Advisor said he would speak if impeached.

But Senate Democrats fell short of the number of votes needed to call more witnesses in the trial, and the Senate later voted to acquit the president of two articles of impeachment.

Pitt then pondered: "I’m thinking Quentin [Tarantino] does a movie about it. And in the end, the adults do the right thing."

The actor beat out Anthony Hopkins, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci and Tom Hanks to win the trophy.

"This is incredible," the actor said, calling it an "honour of honours".

"I’m not one to look back but this has made me do so. I think of my folks taking me to the drive in to see Butch and Sundance and loading up my car and moving out, and Geena [Davis] and Ridley [Scott] giving me my first shot to all the wonderful people I’ve met along the way, to stand here now."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.