She sounded like she was reciting a prompted ChatGPT composition, except that she wasn’t.
British actor Emma Thompson delivered a memorable acceptance speech at the Golden Globe awards in 1996 for winning “Best Screenplay” for “Sense and Sensibility” (1995).
When everyone thought she was going to deliver just another speech, Thompson did what others didn’t—channeled Jane Austen‘s writing voice.
In thanking those who contributed to her accolade. she mimicked Austen’s trademark wit, using elegant words to string winding sentences that land with a mischievous jab.
Austen’s voice, as reimagined by Thompson, surveyed the room with quiet amusement. As one blogger praised Thompson’s speech:
“It is an ingenious and imaginary rendition of what Jane Austen would have written about that night. A speech of true Austenian style, a must-see for all Janeites and Emma Thompson fans,” wrote Arti on RippleEffects.
A Vulture writer, Joe Reid, even recalled the speech in a 2021 piece:
“What came out of her mouth will go down in history as one of the most creative and funny awards-show speeches, and you can hear the in-room audience brighten up when they catch on to what Thompson is doing.”
For these same reasons and one, the clip went viral anew on social media in 2025, with commenters observing how Thompson composed akin to Austen without having generative AI to aid her.
A recent Instagram post of the Thompson delivering her speech posted on @YouthScenes, which publishes “nostalgic” videos, garnered more than 1 million views and at least 74,000 likes so far.