Robert Aramayo delivered one of the most emotional moments of the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards when he paid tribute to Ethan Hawke during his acceptance speech for Best Actor Sunday, February 22.

The 33-year-old English actor stunned audiences by winning the coveted prize for his performance in I Swear, a biopic about campaigner John Davidson’s life with severe Tourette’s syndrome.

Beating out heavyweights including Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael B. Jordan, Jesse Plemons and Timothée Chalamet, Aramayo was visibly overwhelmed as he took the stage.

Robert said, “I absolutely can’t believe this. I can’t believe I’m looking at people like you [Leonardo] never mind that I’m stood here.”

“I honestly cannot believe that I have won this award. I really cannot. Everyone in this category blows me away,” he added.

In his speech, Aramayo recalled a formative moment at Juilliard when the Before Sunrise star visited his class.

He recalled that Hawke spoke about longevity in acting, protecting one’s craft and avoiding self-destructive habits.

“It had a great impact on everyone in that room,” The Lord of the Rings alum said, turning to Hawke in the audience.

The camera captured Hawke fighting back tears, hiding his face in his hand before offering a warm smile and nod of encouragement.

Aramayo’s father leapt with joy in the audience as his son also scooped the Rising Star Award, voted for by the public.

The Game of Thrones actor, dedicated his wins to his family and the I Swear team, calling Davidson “the most amazing person I have ever met.”

Set about 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon follows the rise and fall of a powerful family known for their dragons and tendency towards madness.

Co-created by Ryan Condal and George R.R. Martin, the hit HBO Max series was renewed for a third installment just days before the premiere of its second season in June 2024.

While season 1 introduced viewers to the Targaryen family and season 2 saw a few dragon battles, Condal admitted during an “Inside the Episode” special after the finale that season 3 will focus on “total war.”

“While this season was very much about the fits and starts of an early medieval war, season 3 is clearly going to be about total war,” he revealed.

When will House of the Dragon season 3 be released?

While the exact date is not announced yet, House of the Dragon season 3 will premiere in June 2026 and is expected to feature eight episodes.

Which cast members are returning for House of the Dragon season 3?

Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen, 

Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower and 

Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen will reprise their roles

House of the Dragon season 3 trailer

After two seasons of simmering tension and political maneuvering, the conflict between Rhaenyra and Aegon will escalate into open, devastating warfare is the third season of House of the Dragon.

AHMEDABAD: Defending T20 World Cup champions India need “two big performances” to reach the semi-finals after Sunday’s huge defeat to South Africa, said their assistant coach.

India came into the T20 World Cup as hot favourites on home soil but were thrashed by 76 runs in the Super Eights as 80,000 fans at the massive Narendra Modi stadium were stunned into silence.

In their first chase of the tournament, India’s batting came up woefully short in the face of some disciplined South Africa bowling.

India collapsed to 111 all out in 18.5 overs in response to South Africa’s 187-7 as their 12-match win streak in the T20 World Cup came to a crashing end.

The magnitude of the defeat has left India with a desperate net run-rate of -3.8 and likely needing to win their last two Super Eight matches convincingly to make it to the semi-finals.

Anything less and India will need to rely on a combination of other results going their way.

“Very disappointed in the performance,” said Ryan ten Doeschate.

“When you set out to win a World Cup, don’t expect someone to come and deliver it to you halfway through,” the assistant coach added.

“We’ve messed up on a grand scale and now the onus is on this group of guys to turn it around and put in two solid performances.”

India are grouped with South Africa, the West Indies and Zimbabwe in Super Eights, with the top two advancing to the semi-finals.

The West Indies face Zimbabwe on Monday night in Mumbai in their Super Eights opener.

India next face giant-killers Zimbabwe, who have already beaten Australia and Sri Lanka, on Thursday in Chennai.

South Africa play the West Indies the same day in Ahmedabad, where Aiden Markram’s side could put one foot firmly in the semi-finals with another win.

‘Cloak came off’

“Obviously, with the way the group goes, you need at least four points to get through now, and it’s going to need two big performances and a big bounce back from everyone,” said Ten Doeschate.

India’s fragile batting was exposed against an in-form bowling attack led by left-arm quick Marco Jansen, who returned figures of 4-22 from 3.5 overs. Keshav Maharaj took 3-24 with his left-arm spin.

India´s media tore into the team on Monday morning.

“The night the cloak came off,” blazed a headline in the Indian Express newspaper.

“Sloppy India reach point of no return,” said the Hindustan Times.

India’s ultra-aggressive left-handed opening pair have failed to fire, leaving a shaky middle order to pick up the pieces.

Ishan Kishan was out without scoring to Markram on Sunday, while the world’s top- ranked T20 batter Abhishek Sharma fell to Jansen for 15, his only runs of the tournament so far after three ducks.

“It’s certainly not panic stations,” said Ten Doeschate, who hinted there could be discussions about India’s batting line-up.

“If those guys (Ahbishek and Ishan) bat for six overs, the score is going to be 70-plus,” said Ten Doeschate.

“So can we get them to temper the way they’re playing and be a little bit smarter?

“Or do we just let them go on the way they are?

“Or do we bring in a right-hander at the top and make a change somewhere in the middle?”

Captain Suryakumar Yadav agreed India need to use their brains in the first six-over power play when only two fielders are allowed on the boundary.

“Chasing 180-185, you can’t win the game in the power play, but you might lose it,” he said after his side stumbled to 31-3 after six overs, which became 43-4 a few balls later and then 51-5.

“We lost too many wickets in the power play.”

The 2024 champions also have the weight of history against them. No team has ever retained the T20 World Cup and no side have ever won the trophy on home soil.