He has continued to work steadily since, bringing his loopy comic brio to bear in guest appearances on shows like “Game of Thrones” and “Girls” and movies that run the gamut from “Gosford Park” to “Hudson Hawk.” Still, those supporting roles are the sort of thing an actor can do for a long time without being singled out for special recognition, which is what makes this moment so sweet for Grant.

A lifelong diarist with an eye for detail, he was in his element in front of the full-house Bafta crowd, unfurling career anecdotes like a seasoned raconteur. They asked Grant about playing an alcoholic in both “Withnail & I” and “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” despite the fact that he is a teetotaler, which is mentioned so prominently on his Wikipedia page that it comes up in every interview.

Grant answered gamely that he tried alcohol once and found himself allergic to it, and besides, he learned plenty about drinking from his father, an alcoholic minister of education in Swaziland who tried to shoot Grant when the boy was 15. “He missed,” Grant said, “because he was too pissed.”

That’s the sort of life that inspires eccentric questions, but after the Bafta panel, even Grant found himself at a loss when the woman with the vegan-leather purse asked whether he thought of himself as a golden retriever. “Because I do,” she added. “I have a golden retriever and I think they’re so super friendly with everyone.”

“I’ll take that,” said Grant, though he would later muse to me that he was far too much of a character actor to play the part of a golden retriever. “I’ve always physically felt like I’m a flamingo,” he said. “Putting my beak into other people’s stories and lives is what galvanizes me.”