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".
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