Ben Affleck: Will his BAFTA success translate to an Oscar win?
The British tipped a hat to an emerging powerhouse director at the BAFTAs as Ben Affleck wins Best Director and Best Picture for his critically acclaimed film Argo.
No one was more in awe of the win than Affleck himself, who has taken home a trophy in almost every major awards show this season for the film about the extraction of six American diplomats stuck in Iran during the 1979 hostage crisis.
Showered with praises from both critics and the box office, Argo was such an undisputed success you would think Ben Affleck would be riding a wave of supreme confidence this awards season. But in every award, trophy and speech, the star director shows that there is always room for humility and gratitude in success, especially if you are Hollywood's very own wayward son.
"I want to say this is a second act for me and you've given me that," Affleck reflected during his acceptance speech. "This industry has given me that and I want to thank you and I'm so grateful and proud."
There is certainly an abundance of support for Affleck as his producer George Clooney later quipped good-naturedly, "If this is your second act, I don't know what you're going to do for your third act."
As Affleck takes yet another awards show by storm, the big question on everyone's minds is how about the Oscars? He may be snubbed a Best Director nomination, but Ben Affleck's directorial masterpiece Argo is up for Best Picture, and it might be even a frontrunner.
Other A-list pals are behind him such as Clooney and Bradley Cooper who likened the Oscar snub as Affleck being "robbed". Childhood best friend Matt Damon put it best as he presented Affleck with the Modern Master award in Santa Barbara, "...it's already won the Golden Globe for Best Picture and for Ben for Best Director, and no one's going to be surprised if it wins the Oscar for Best Picture."
His road to the Oscars was not without a few roadblocks (Steven Spielberg's historical drama Lincoln, for one) but Affleck has been cruising so far. His accomplishments at this point is already a career high, winning big at the Golden Globes, Directors Guild Awards, Producers Guild Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
The BAFTAs alone may not be enough to surmise a win at the Oscars, but if his domination of all awards shows is any indication, he is going to be taking home a golden statue on February 24th, one that's well-deserved.