The film awards season has officially begun! And it kicked off with the 25th Annual Gotham Awards in New York City this week. Helen Mirren and Robert Redford were both being honored with the Gotham Tribute Award, alongside Todd Haynes and Steve Golin. And Helen reinforced just how amazing she is with her undeniable wit. During her acceptance speech, she talked about the first time her husband, director Taylor Hackford, saw her playing Queen Elizabeth II in the 2006 drama, The Queen.
“There was silence in the cinema and my husband let out this huge laugh, because he’s never seen me dressed as the Queen before. So I leaned over to him and said: ‘Darling, do you think you’ll ever fuck me again?’” She continued with a big smile, “Between you and me, he has.” The audience was rolling!
And Robert DeNiro shared his fondness for Mirren’s take on the queen when he was onstage. “I didn’t grow up wanting to have sex with Queen Elizabeth,” De Niro joked. “First, I didn’t think it was proper fun to have. And then there was the Queen herself: regal and, well, queenly, but not in the way that would excite a young man’s fantasies. But that was before I saw her played by Helen Mirren.”
And they weren’t the only ones with a good sense of humor. As guests sipped Dobel Tequila cocktails and Line 39 wine, Redford took to the stage to accept his award and entertained the audience with a story of why fame shouldn’t be taken too seriously. Awhile back, he was crossing Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles when a car full of teenagers came roaring past him. “I see them in the car and they scream: ‘Robert Redford, Robert Redford!’ I’m thinking: Heyyy. (They continued) ‘You are such an asshole!’ From that point on I knew where my place was, and how humility was very important.” Cue the laughs.
To view the full list of 2015 Gotham Awards winners, click here.