Maggie Gyllenhaal delivered a message on behalf of Ellen Burstyn before the 93-year-old acting legend took the stage at the Venice Film Festival to receive the prestigious Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement.
“Ellen asked me to let you know that she recently took a fall,” Gyllenhaal said from the podium. “She’s OK, but she is moving more slowly — which is fine because it’ll give us more time to clap.”
Indeed, the room burst into applause as Burstyn, clad in a vibrant yellow gown, sauntered onto the stage with a walker. Burstyn cried and wiped away her tears with a tissue as she was greeted with a heartfelt, minutes-long standing ovation.
“You’re making me cry!” she said, which did little to stop the enthusiastic claps and cheers. “You’re overwhelming me, you know! I don’t know how to recover from that generous greeting.”
Burstyn has achieved a lot in her seven-decade career in Hollywood (which she was quick to remind the crowd), but said she puts the Venice award among the top honors.
