Taylor Russell broke down while presenting Ellen Burstyn with the Liberatum Pioneer Award in Venice.
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“Everyone in this room knows how incredible you are. I’ve been so affected by your life and your characters, and no, it’s not part of my speech,” she said on Thursday, tearing up.
The “Bones and All” actor starred alongside Burstyn in Niclas Larsson’s “Mother, Couch.”
“The most exciting part was knowing I would have the opportunity to work with you,” said Russell, raving about “every piece” of Burstyn’s “specialness.”
“I think about your spirituality and the way you’ve connected your heart, your truth and your soul to your work. And that makes me think: ‘I can attempt to do that too,’” she said.
“This is not the woman who takes the easy route. She has never stopped searching. Ellen, by sharing the gift of your work and life with us all, you are emblazoned in our memories, lighting the path for those of us who are honored to follow in your footsteps.”
During Liberatum’s “Women in Creativity” gala, Burstyn treated the guests to a recitation of a poem by Mary Oliver, “When Death Comes.” She also opened up about her career, trying to keep things light – even when asked about hardships and disappointments.
“The hardest moment in my life? All three marriages weren’t very successful,” she deadpanned, more eager to reminisce about the most beautiful moment instead: “When I took my baby into my arms. I adopted my child.”
She still loves her roles in little-seen “Resurrection” by Daniel Petrie and “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.”
“When I made ‘Alice’ I was a single mother and the women’s movement was awakening in me, and we were able to reflect all of that in the film. So many women have told me they recognize themselves in Alice, but what has surprised me is how many men were moved by what they learned about their relationships with their mothers,” she told Variety later.
And yes, she has a soft spot for “The Exorcist” too, despite all the alleged supernatural drama on set.
“What was really happening there? Well, we were making a movie! And then there were all these side events that may or may not be metaphysical. It was an eventful shoot: eight months with the devil.”
She also reflected on the changes in the industry – “When I started out, there were no women producers and no women directors apart from Ida Lupino in the 1940s. It was all men and that has changed,” she said – as well as her hacks on staying productive at 91 years old.
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“Between 20 and 40 years old, I did everything bad. Alcohol, marijuana, fattening food, I didn’t exercise. Then, at 40, I gave up smoking. Then alcohol. Grass was the last to go,” she laughed.
Urging young actors to always “keep on growing as artists” and “study, study, study,” she also revealed the name of a lucky director she would like to work with again: “Darren Aronofsky.”
“And I just turned him down! He offered me a small part in his next film, but the character spoke Yiddish. And I don’t, and I tried. I very unhappily told him he had to recast, but he hired my friend Carol Kane instead.”
Before the sit-down dinner, producer of Venice premiere “Mistress Dispeller” by Elizabeth Lo, Maggie Li, discussed the situation of female-led films – and female-centered stories – with Variety .
“I don’t think it’s enough, but I do see an improvement. Previously, I produced the documentary ‘Ascension.’ It was directed by a woman and my first feature as a producer, and we went to the Oscars! You see women like Ellen or Sigourney Weaver awarded here in Venice [Weaver was given the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement]. Female filmmakers have done so much and they are finally getting acknowledged.”
According to Liberatum’s Pablo Ganguli, the fundamental focus of the program established 10 years ago has been to “highlight women who are not always in the eye of the media, but who have contributed in such a significant way to our collective consciousness.”
Past honourees include Nicole Kidman, Hilary Swank, Tilda Swinton, Angela Bassett and Zaha Hadid. The gala was attended by Debra Granik, Diana Picasso, Angela Missoni and German filmmaker Julia Von Heinz.
“The goal is to be empowered by their stories. Also, I’ve always felt it was an injustice that a pioneering actress and producer like Ellen Burstyn, way ahead of her time, has never been invited to Venice Film Festival. It’s an emotional moment, because it’s about a woman’s story of her survival. She’s always persevered.”
As pointed out by Burstyn, Venice is just a perfect place to get an award.
“It’s so much better than the usual places,” she joked, recalling one of her first – and rather unfortunate – experiences in Italy back in the late 1960s.
“My husband got a job in Rome. On my first day, there was a demonstration. I assumed it was for a public cause, so of course I joined in. The next day, I found out they were fascists.”
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