This image released by NBC shows Jacqueline Bisset accepting the award for best supporting actress in a series, mini-series or TV movie for her role in, Dancing on the Edge during the 71st annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2014, in Beverly Hills, Calif.Paul Drinkwater/The Associated Press
Jacqueline Bisset has the oldest excuse in the world for her rambling and disconnected acceptance speech at the Golden Globes on Sunday night.
In her own words: "I was completely out of it."
Variety reports that the English actress rushed to her own defence shortly after collecting her Globe for best supporting actress in a TV or miniseries for Dancing on the Edge. Bisset was in full control of her faculties during her acceptance speech, but she still managed to shock the audience and NBC censors.
To rewind, Bisset, better known for her roles in films like Two For the Road, Bullitt and, in particular, the 1977 feature The Deep, in which she made wearing a wet T-shirt as a swimsuit top a fashion statement, looked genuinely stunned when her name was announced as the Golden Globe winner on Sunday night.
For those who didn't watch the show, Bisset took a long time to get to the stage at the main ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel, in part because she stopped to smooch with actor Jon Voight en route. But once she got there, she immediately launched into a speech in which one sentence really had nothing to do with the one before it.
She began with, "Thank you very much Hollywood Foreign Press, I am absolutely shaking, I can't believe this. You have nominated me about five times, anyway. Okay … Scottish background to the front. I always wanted to do something for the BBC, and we did this and this was great."
Changing lanes, Bisset threw to her Dancing on the Edge co-star sitting in the audience. "Chiwetel Ejiofor, where are you? I need to see you for inspiration. We had a great cast, didn't we? Starz, thank you for putting this on, thank you to my British agent, Steve Kenis, and my American agent, Harry Abrams."
At which point the offstage music began to swell in order to gently coax the 69-year-old actress offstage. As it happened, Bisset was only getting warmed up.
"I am sorry, but I am going to get this together. I want to thank people who have given me joy, and there have been many…"
Seemingly oblivious that she was before both a live and TV audience, Bisset continued: "S–t. I say like my mother, what did she say? She used to say, 'Go to hell and don't come back. However, howeer, however, my mother was not entirely me. I believe that if you want to look good, you've got to forgive everybody."
Eventually, Bisset wrapped up her speech.
Once backstage, Bisset regained her composure and appeared to have some sense that she went off-topic in her speech. Talking to a reporter from TVLine, she first apologized for taking so long to get to the stage.
"Sorry it took so long," said Bisset. "I was in a daze."
Bisset went on to credit her offbeat behaviour to the fact she was completely unaware that her category was being announced when she suddenly heard her name called out as the winner.
"I was told my category was coming up second from last, so I was absolutely stunned," she explained. "I wondered why the guy was there with a camera on me."
Bisset added: "I was completely out of it, I was thinking about my dinner. And I still haven't gotten my dinner yet."
And when asked about what point she was trying to put across in her speech, Bisset readily admitted: "I can't really remember what I said, actually."