While perusing the pages of an online newspaper, Londonist came across the headline "Sienna Miller beaten to award by schoolboy". A few questions immediately came to mind but namely: What was Sienna Miller nominated for? And who is this schoolboy? Clearly whoever wrote this headline intended for the reader to be overwhelmed with curiosity that without thinking, we would click on the link. We did just that (and hopefully you did the same because of our headline).
The sensationalized headline proved disappointing. It turns out that Sienna Miller lost the Best Newcomer Empire Award to Freddie Highmore (Age 12) for his role in Finding Neverland. Miller had been nominated for her role in Alfie. The headline actually had very little to do with the rest of the content of the article, but Sienna Miller’s name did attract our attention (sadly). Our main complaint: no comment from Miller on what it felt like to lose to a 12-year-old.
The other winners of awards are listed below, and we leave it to you to judge whether or not you think many of these people actually had award-winning performances.
Full list of winners
Best Newcomer: Freddie Highmore (Finding Neverland)
Best British Actress: Kate Winslet (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
Best British Actor: Paddy Considine (Dead Man's Shoes)
Best British Director: Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake)
Best British Film: Shaun of the Dead
Sony Ericsson scene of the year: the hot air balloon sequence in Enduring Love
Best Actress: Julie Delpy (Before Sunset)
Best Actor: Matt Damon (The Bourne Supremacy)
Best Director: Sam Raimi (Spider-Man 2)
Best Film: The Bourne Supremacy
Independent Spirit Award: Kevin Smith
Empire Inspiration Award: Brad Bird (The Incredibles)
Outstanding contribution to British cinema: Working Title
Icon of the Decade: Quentin Tarantino
