18 February 2024 , 23:49
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Samantha Morton dedicated her Bafta Fellowship "to every child in care, or who has been in care and who didn't survive" on Sunday night.
The 46 year old actress and director collected the top film award from producer David Heyman, who she worked with on Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them at the 77th Bafta film awards - moving the star-studded audience as she looked back on her life during her acceptance speech.
On stage, an emotional Morton said: "This is nothing short of a miracle." The star, who grew up in care, also shared how watching Ken Loach's Kes changed her life, saying: "Seeing poverty and people like me on the screen, I recognised myself representation matters."
She added that she would tell her younger self: " "You matter, don't give up, the stories we tell, they have the power to change people's lives. Film changed my life, it transformed me and it led me here today. I dedicate this award to every child in care, or who has been in care and who didn't survive."
There were also kind words from her Minority Report co-star Tom Cruise and others she has worked with, while Heyman called her a "rare breed and true artist". Later, she criticised the children's care system for wasting money. The actress, who grew up in foster care and made the Bafta-winning TV drama The Unloved about a girl growing up in the system, said: "It costs the taxpayer a huge amount of money to keep a child in care, to take care of them."
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"And that money is wasted and spent ridiculously. I used to say when I was a kid of many children's homes, I used to say, 'It'd be great, why don't I just go to some fancy boarding school? At least then I get an education'. But that wasn't on the cards. To those kids in care, don't allow the system to drag you down because it can and it will."