Natalie Portman delivers a heartfelt speech honouring Diane Keaton 

17th Film Festival Lumiere - Day Three - Source: Getty
17th Film Festival Lumiere - Day Three - Source: Getty

Natalie Portman is paying her respects to one of the biggest, most influential actresses in Hollywood, the late Diane Keaton. The Annie Hall actress, who led a career that spanned over decades and genres passed away this week at 79, and as Hollywood mourns this loss, Portman said a few kind words to celebrate the actress and her legacy.

Speaking during the Lumière Film Festival, the Black Swan actress gave a short speech about women who inspired her in the industry. Among those named were Gena Rowlands, Julianne Moore, Isabelle Huppert, Nicole Kidman, and of course, Diane Keaton.

Talking about Keaton and why she stood out, Portman said,

“She gave female characters the opportunity to be as complex as the male characters we commonly see. They were neurotic, they were funny, they were smart, they were emotional, they were weird. She let women be weird on screen. [She was] someone who was unapologetically herself, and you fell in love with her because of that.”

More tributes for Diane Keaton

10th Annual LACMA ART+FILM GALA Honoring Amy Sherald, Kehinde Wiley, And Steven Spielberg Presented By Gucci - Red Carpet - Source: Getty
10th Annual LACMA ART+FILM GALA Honoring Amy Sherald, Kehinde Wiley, And Steven Spielberg Presented By Gucci - Red Carpet - Source: Getty

Hollywood is mourning the loss of one of its most distinctive voices, Diane Keaton, the Oscar-winning actress, filmmaker, and author whose charm and wit defined generations of cinema. Tributes soon flew in from multiple co-stars and industry friends.

Woody Allen, who Keaton collaborated with frequently wrote a piece for the Free Press Journal in her honor. Part of his essay read,

"It’s grammatically incorrect to say “most unique,” but all rules of grammar, and I guess anything else, are suspended when talking about Diane Keaton. Unlike anyone the planet has experienced or is unlikely to ever see again, her face and laugh illuminated any space she entered."

Nancy Meyers, who also worked with Diane Keaton often posted a heartfelt tribute on Instagram and wrote,

“A brilliant actress who time and again laid herself bare to tell our stories. As a woman, I lost a friend of almost 40 years – at times over those years, she felt like a sister because we shared so many truly memorable experiences. As a filmmaker, I’ve lost a connection with an actress that one can only dream of.”

News of her passing was first shared by People and The New York Times, both citing a spokesperson and producer Dori Rath, though neither disclosed a cause or time of death. According to reports from CNN and ABC News, the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a medical call at Keaton’s home and later transported a person to the hospital. Keaton is survived by her daughter Dexter and son Duke.

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Edited by Nibir Konwar