Anthony Hopkins has paid tribute to Chadwick Boseman in a belated Oscars speech, following the star-studded ceremony, the Hollywood icon took to Instagram to post a sweet message in memory of the talented actor.

The 83-year-old star of The Father accepted the Academy Award for Best Actor, admitting that although he feels extremely grateful for the award, he did not expect to win, and wanted to take a moment to honor “Chadwick Boseman, who was taken from us far too early.”

He also went on to show his gratitude, as he felt “very privileged and honored.”

The audience was quite surprised with the announcement during the ceremony, as it was not only expected that the late Chadwick Boseman was honored with the award for his performance in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.

©Netflix

But also because the organizers positioned the Best Actor category at the end of the night, and an acceptance speech was left missing, as Anthony Hopkins was asleep in Wales.

Many of the viewers took to Twitter to express their discontent, arguing that the long-awaited event had “built the entire show around a Chadwick Boseman ending,” and then the awards took a different turn.

Anthony Hopkins, who previously received the Best Actor award for his iconic performance in ‘The Silence of the Lambs,’ is now the oldest Best Actor winner in history.