Emma Watson Dedicates Britannia Award to Her Dead Pet Hamster

Emma Watson did not take her Britannia Award for British Artist of the Year lightly, which is why she dedicated it to…her childhood hamster? The Noah actress was one of six recipients of this year’s Britannia Awards, given by BAFTA Los Angeles to stars who have made a major contribution in “advancing the entertainment arts.” While accepting her award at Thursday night’s ceremony, Watson shared an unusual anecdote to illustrate how the entertainment industry had become her “surrogate family.” Watch her full speech above.

Watson explained how, during the first Harry Potter film, her “on-set hamster” Millie died of a heart attack. The nine-year-old actress was distraught, but the set decorators comforted her by giving her pet a proper burial, with “a small, mahogany, hamster-sized coffin” engraved with Millie’s name. “Rest in peace, Millie,” Watson concluded. “This one’s for you.”

Thanking one’s deceased pets in an acceptance speech is an unusual choice, but there's a puppy precedent: Mickey Rourke thanked his dogs, both “the ones that are here” and “the ones that aren’t here anymore,” when he received his Best Actor Golden Globe for The Wrestler in 2009.