The 2024 BAFTA Awards delivered a mix of glamour, celebration, and, surprisingly, a dose of YouTube-fueled mischief. In an audacious stunt, a YouTube prankster managed to sneak onto the stage alongside the cast of Oppenheimer—and remarkably, no one seemed to notice.
The incident occurred during one of the evening’s highlights, as the ensemble cast of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer took the stage to accept the award for Best Film. Clad in a sharp suit and blending seamlessly with the A-listers, the prankster joined Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., and others as they made their way to the podium.
Footage from the ceremony shows the prankster standing among the cast, nodding and clapping along as though he were part of the production team. His casual demeanor and polished appearance appeared to convince both security and the event organizers that he belonged. While Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan delivered his acceptance speech, the prankster stood just steps away, even posing for group photos with the cast.
The prank wasn’t discovered until the ceremony had ended, when social media users began scrutinizing footage and noticed the unfamiliar face in the group. BAFTA attendees, including members of the cast, seemed equally oblivious at the time, though some have since responded with a mix of amusement and bewilderment.
In a post on his YouTube channel, the prankster—who goes by the online alias “Stage Sneaker” and is known for pulling off elaborate public stunts—shared a behind-the-scenes video documenting how he infiltrated the prestigious event. The video reveals that he posed as a production assistant to gain backstage access and waited for the right moment to join the cast.
“I just wanted to see if I could pull it off,” he explained in the video. “No harm, no foul—I didn’t disrupt anything, and honestly, being up there with the Oppenheimer cast was surreal.”
The stunt has sparked a flurry of reactions online. While some viewers praised the prankster’s nerve and ingenuity, others criticized the lack of security at the event. “How does someone just walk onto the BAFTAs stage unnoticed?” one Twitter user commented. “That’s a huge lapse in protocol.”
For their part, BAFTA organizers have acknowledged the incident and promised to review their security measures. In a statement, a spokesperson said, “We are aware of an unauthorized individual gaining access to the stage during the event. While no disruption occurred, we take security very seriously and will implement stricter protocols to ensure this does not happen again.”
Meanwhile, members of the Oppenheimer cast have taken the situation in stride. Robert Downey Jr. joked on Instagram, “Turns out, we gained a new cast member last night. Welcome to the Oppenheimer family!” Emily Blunt, however, reportedly admitted she hadn’t noticed anything unusual, saying, “I just assumed he was part of the crew.”
The incident has added an unexpected chapter to this year’s BAFTA Awards, serving as a reminder of both the power of audacity and the challenges of maintaining tight security at high-profile events. As for the prankster, his stunt has not only gone viral but also reignited conversations about celebrity culture, access, and the boundaries of acceptable mischief.
