Taron Egerton was named best actor in a motion picture, comedy or musical at the 77th annual Golden Globes on Sunday night.
The Rocketman star beat out Daniel Craig (Knives Out), Roman Griffin Davis (Jojo Rabbit), Leonardo DiCaprio (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) and Eddie Murphy (Dolemite Is My Name).
At the start of his acceptance speech, Egerton called his fellow nominees “legitimate icons” and noted his role as Elton John was the “best experience of my life.”
After thanking director Dexter Fletcher and producer Matthew Vaughn, the actor showed appreciation to the iconic singer whom he portrayed: “To Elton John, thank you for the music, thank you for living a life less ordinary, and thank you for being my friend.”
Egerton’s final thanks went to his mother in the audience, to whom he said, “This one’s for you, ma’am.”
Speaking to reporters backstage, Egerton was asked if John offered any advice for the role.
“A lot of what Elton says you can’t actually repeat. It is quite naughty,” the actor shared, before adding, “He said, ‘Don’t worry about sounding exactly like me.'”
Ricky Gervais hosted the awards show, which were held at the Beverly Hilton and aired live on NBC.
Dick Clark Productions, which produces the Golden Globes, shares a parent company with The Hollywood Reporter.
