Daniel Day-Lewis may be one of Hollywood's most serious actors, but that doesn't mean he doesn't like a good laugh every once in a while.
Or better yet, the Oscar winner likes to make others laugh every once in a while.
Day-Lewis had the audience roaring last night at BAFTA/LA's Britannia Awards at the Beverly Hilton when he took aim at Clint Eastwood's infamous empty-chair speech at the Republican National Convention.
While he was accepting the Stanley Kubrick Award for Excellence in Film from his Lincoln director Steven Spielberg, an empty chair was placed on the stage beside him.
"I have to say, I'm so extremely grateful and glad that taking time out of his busy schedule, the recently reelected president of this country was able to make it here tonight," Day-Lewis said as he bowed his head at the chair.
"I know as an Englishman, it's absolutely none of my business, but I'm so very grateful it was you."
Day-Lewis insisted he wasn't poking fun at Eastwood. "This is no satirical comment on him or his politics or anything else," he said, "but I have to say that when I saw him talking to a chair to a room full of strangers, I thought, ‘I've gotta try that. That's a challenge.'"
His next target was the phone-hacking scandal that has rocked media mogul Rupert Murdoch's tabloid empire.
"I'm looking around at this room of distinguished guests and I feel slightly like the odd man out because I think I'm maybe the only British subject not to have had my phone hacked," he said with a big grin.
"It's probably some sort of testament to the uneventful life that I lead," he added. "I don't know where Rupert's boys were when I staggered out of the S&M bar at five in the morning."
Hosted by Alan Cumming, the evening also included Daniel Craig being presented with the British Artist of the Year award by his Cowboys & Aliens costar Harrison Ford, and South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone being honored with the Charlie Chaplin Award for Excellence in Comedy.
Quentin Tarantino picked up the John Schlesinger Award for Excellence in Directing.
The Britannia Awards will air on BBC America on Sunday at 8 p.m./7p.m. CT.