Christopher Nolan has paid tribute to late actor Heath Ledger in his Golden Globes acceptance speech.
Nolan picked up his first ever Golden Globes award last night (January 7), taking home the 'Best Director' gong for Oppenheimer. During his speech Nolan reflected on the "challenging" moment of collecting an award given to Ledger after his death in 2008.
"The only time I've ever been on this stage before was accepting one of these on behalf of our dear friend, Heath Ledger," Nolan said (via The Hollywood Reporter), referring to the actor being posthumously awarded Best Supporting Actor for his role as the Joker in Nolan's film The Dark Knight.
"That was complicated and challenging for me," he recalled.
Related: Christopher Nolan praises Oppenheimer's "equally important" home release
"And in the middle of speaking, I looked down at Robert Downey Jr, [who] caught my eye and gave me a look of support," he continued, as the camera panned over to the Iron Man actor.
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"The same look [he's] giving me now — the same love and support he showed so many people in your community over the years."
Nolan finished his speech by thanking the cast of Oppenheimer, which included Downey Jr, Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt and Florence Pugh for their work, adding: "As a director I suddenly realise I can only accept this on behalf of people.
"As directors we bring people together and try to get them to give their very best."
Related: Robert Downey Jr discusses Oppenheimer and Iron Man connection
Alongside Nolan's win, the Golden Globes was a successful night for Oppenheimer, with the historical drama winning awards for 'Best Film - Drama' and 'Best Original Score'.
There were also wins for Murphy and Downey Jr, picking up 'Best Actor' and 'Best Supporting Actor' in a drama respectively for their roles as J. Robert Oppenheimer and Lewis Strauss.
Blunt was also nominated for 'Best Supporting Actress' for her role as Kitty Oppenheimer, which went to Da'Vine Joy Randolph in The Holdovers.
Oppenheimer is out on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD.
Reporter, Digital Spy
Brenna Cooper is a freelance journalist, who currently specialises in entertainment reporting. She joined Digital Spy in 2022, writing TV and movies stories for the site. After graduating with an NCTJ accredited Journalism Masters from the University of Sheffield in 2020 she has since embarked on a freelance career.
Brenna previously produced lifestyle content for Checklists.co.uk and has a specific interest in music, reviewing live acts and interviewing bands such as Confidence Man and Amyl and the Sniffers.
