Sir Patrick Stewart hopes for Huddersfield glory after Empire legend award

The Logan star, 76, said he aimed to see every one of the club’s matches this season, after joking that the accolade was a hint he had reached the end of his career.

Speaking at the Empire magazine event in north London on Sunday, he told reporters: “Huddersfield Town Football Club have to get into the Premiership this season to make my year perfect – so it’s very close.

“But I’m not a chanter, and I have to confess I don’t understand a lot of the chants.

“I will be in Huddersfield in two days’ time and one of my plans is to have them print out for me what those chants are so I can join in.”

Picking up the award he joked to the audience: “A legend award, come on Patrick it doesn’t mean to say your career is over … I think it means I’m done, I’m finished.”

Best known for playing Captain Picard in Star Trek and Professor X in this year’s X-Men instalment, the Yorkshire-born star said there was a “sense of unreality” about the prestigious honour.

“It’s the last thing ever in my career that I anticipated, I have literally gone job by job day by day doing what I’ve loved doing since I was 17,” he said.

“I think I’ll keep this award on my pillow so that when I wake up in the morning there will be a reminder saying ‘it actually happened, Patrick, there you are, an alleged legend’.”

As he accepted the prize he was joined by his “friend and brother” Sir Ian McKellen.

Thanking him and the crowd, Sir Patrick said: “Nietzsche said success is an imposter, it conceals the floor, the womb, the fundamental doubt at the core of the artist’s being.

“But Mr Nietzsche you are not right about that tonight – I don’t feel flawed, I don’t feel overlooked, I don’t feel misunderstood, I feel very happy and end immensely happy.”

Meanwhile, Tom Hiddleston picked up the Empire hero award, and best TV series for his role in BBC’s The Night Manager.

Arriving hours after a long-haul flight, he said: “This is a huge honour.

“They say never meet your heroes, but I am lucky enough that I wouldn’t be standing here if I hadn’t met mine and worked with them, and I dedicate this to all of them.”

Adding his special thanks to the Empire readers who voted for the award winners, he said: “The point of cinema is to connect people, and thank you for letting me be part of the conversation.”

Best actor awards were presented to Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones, while Dave Johns and Anya Taylor-Joy were named best newcomers.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story won best film while its creator, Gareth Edwards, was named best director and Ken Loach’s I, Daniel Blake won best British film.