Helen Mirren given Legend award at Capri festival

(ANSA) - Capri, December 28 - English actress Helen Mirren and her husband, director Taylor Hackford, received Legend Awards at this year's Capri Film Festival, taking selfies on stage and praising each other in their acceptance speeches.
    Hackford compared Mirren to legendary Italian actress Anna Magnani, and Mirren told Hackford: "I've always admired you, also for what you did as president of the Director's Guild of America".
    This year's "Capri, Hollywood" festival kicked off with the premiere of Mirren's latest, "Collateral Beauty" by director David Frankel.
    It's an ensemble comedy starring Mirren as Death, with an equally star-studded cast including Will Smith, Edward Norton, Keira Knightley, Michael Pena, Naomie Harris, and Kate Winslet.
    "Two things attracted me to this film," Mirren said.
    "The first is that it's an ensemble film, and I'm always attracted to films that have many protagonists. The other, naturally, is the message: I too have experienced certain feelings and I can assure you that there's always a light at the end of the tunnel," she said.
    The film tells the story of an advertising agent in New York who becomes depressed after losing his daughter, and vents his feelings by writing letters to abstract entities such as Death, Love, and Time.
    "It wasn't easy conveying this message. I told myself, it could be misunderstood," Mirren said.
    "But instead it came out and it's a light film, without heaviness. I knew the director and I loved his films like 'The Devil Wears Prada'. He did very good work and the result is a balanced film. Acting with Will Smith was exceptional because he's an exceptional person. Did you notice also that all the actresses are English? It was fantastic working with my friends.
    I'm happy with the result. In some ways it's the classic Hollywood film but it touches the heart. The work was complicated, lots of takes, and some improvising. The image of beauty that it transmits isn't like TV spots but rather the beauty of love".