American actress Sigourney Weaver won Spain’s International Goya Award at the weekend in recognition of what the Spanish Film Academy classed as an impressive career, during which she brought to life ‘independent, complex and strong female characters’.
The 74-year-old, best known for playing Ellen Ripley in the Alien franchise, is only the third recipient of the honorary prize, which since its creation in 2022 has been awarded to Cate Blanchett and Juliette Binoche.
‘(I am) always looking for stories about and for women, to remind us … of how powerful women are in all kinds of surprising ways,’ Weaver told a star-studded audience at the Goya Awards gala in the city of Valladolid (Castilla y León).
Weaver also paid tribute to Spanish actress María Luisa Solá, who has dubbed her in over 30 films, starting with Alien.
‘The excellent actress who dubs me should be up here, too,’ she said, to applause from the audience, joking her acting was so much better dubbed in Spanish [see video clip in X link below].
The jury praised Weaver’s versatility, charisma and talent displayed in roles ranging from the dramatic – like her acclaimed portrayal of naturalist Dian Fossey in Gorillas in the Mist – to more comedic roles as in Ghostbusters.
Society of the Snow, depicting the true story of the plane crash of a Uruguayan rugby team in the Andes in 1972 and directed by J.A.Bayona, was the evening’s big winner, taking home 12 awards. The film has also been nominated for an Academy Award.
The ceremony was marked by the recent accusations of sexual assault by three women against film director Carlos Vermut. Fans given out among the audience by the Association of Women Filmmakers carried the slogan #SeAcabó (‘It’s over’).
María Luisa Solá, actriz de doblaje, tras las palabras de Sigourney Weaver en los #Goya2024: "Nos ha dejado sorprendidos a todos. Le ha dado visibilidad a mi profesión". #Mañaneros12F
— La 1 (@La1_tve) February 12, 2024
⭕https://t.co/8fP2E7i9xU pic.twitter.com/usnbixbG1j
Sigourney Weaver recibe el Goya Internacional 2024 de manos de J.A. Bayona, un reconocimiento del cine español que le ha hecho sentir "como una reina". #Goya2024https://t.co/J9dY9ECQaD pic.twitter.com/tICnVa7EuZ
— Premios Goya (@PremiosGoya) February 10, 2024
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