CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) 鈥� Annette Bening, a two-time Golden Globe winner who recently received her , was feted Tuesday with a raucous parade full of colorful costumes and drag performers as part of festivities honoring her as Harvard University鈥檚 Hasty Pudding Theatricals 2024 Woman of the Year.
A few hours later, Benning endured a celebrity roast before attending a performance of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals鈥� 175th production, 鈥淗eist Heist Baby."
She joined a group of synchronized swimmers on stage doing swim strokes to the song 鈥淧ump Up the Jams,鈥� a reference to her role in the swimming movie 鈥淣yad.鈥� Then, she cut the hair of a volunteer in an effort to give him her signature look. And then she donned a seagull costume and acted out the role of the sea bird, a reference her role in the movie version of Anton Chekhov鈥檚 鈥淭he Seagull,鈥� squawking and waving her arms.
鈥淚 did it all myself with no one's help,鈥� Benning joked, after accepting the traditional pudding pot and trying to start a speech by thanking her kindergarten teacher. Her husband, Warren Beatty, won the man of the year award in 1975.
The Pudding is the oldest theatrical organization in the nation and one of the oldest in the world. Since 1951, it has bestowed this award annually on women 鈥渨ho have made lasting and impressive contributions to the world of entertainment.鈥� Other winners have included Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Scarlett Johansson and
Festivities began with the parade at Harvard. Bening, wearing a brown coat, hat and sunglasses, blew kisses to the crowd, and at one point, was pecked on both cheeks by drag performers. As the parade ended, she launched into a can-can dance with several other people.
鈥淲e鈥檙e absolutely thrilled to honor Annette Bening in this milestone 175th anniversary year for the Hasty Pudding,鈥� said Josh Hillers, the organization鈥檚 president. 鈥淗ot off her Oscars nomination for Best Actress, we鈥檙e excited to present her with the most prestigious award in the entertainment industry.鈥�
Bening, who also has won a Screen Actors Guild Award and starred in 鈥淭he Grifters鈥� and 鈥淎merican Beauty,鈥� earned her fifth Oscar nomination, this one for best actress, for playing the prickly long-distance swimmer
Barry Keoghan, best known for his roles in 鈥淪altburn,鈥� 鈥淒unkirk,鈥� 鈥淭he Killing of a Sacred Deer,鈥� 鈥淓ternals鈥� and 鈥淭he Banshees of Inisherin,鈥� is the recipient of its . He will be honored Friday night.
Michael Casey, The Associated Press
