Following Pamela Anderson a few days ago, Joel Eggerton was celebrated at the Deauville American Film Festival, winning the Festival’s Talent Award on Thursday evening.
Edgerton was awarded the award from the hands of French-Iranian actor Golshifte Farahani, who hosts the 51st edition of the festival, at Edgerton, who was with Deauville director Chris Bentley to showcase the French premiere of his Netflix drama starring Felicity Jones. The pair starred together in Ridley Scott’s Old Testament, Exodus: God and King.
In his speech, Edgerton hinted at how his upbringing in the rural suburbs of Sydney and his early passion for film helped him become an artist and break through the industry he was not born in.
He said, “I grew up a long way from here… on the other side of the world,” and “I rarely travelled to my teenage years, but films from around the world traveled to me.”
“When I was very young, film was a chance to escape — to other worlds, to other lives. To keep myself away from my real life,” he said. “As I got older, I became more interested in the way cinemas reflected real life and their experiences. I think the best films that captured my imagination as a child have done both.
The Australian actor humbly said, “I didn’t think of myself as talented,” and “always saw myself as one of the lucky ones.”
He continues: “I am lucky enough to love working as an actor, writer, and sometimes as a director. And I will share this honor with the extraordinary people I have been fortunate to work with, challenged and learned.”
Although he was not political, Edgerton said that films are more important than ever, as they “celebrate cultural connections” and that they “connect people across cultures, across oceans, across languages.”
Earlier that day, Edgerton launched a dedicated beach cabin, which was offered at the Deauville Festival in Promenade des Plancis, in accordance with tradition.
This weekend will be wrapped up with screenings of Richard Linklater’s “Nouvelle Vage” and Rebecca Zlotovsky’s “Vie Private,” starring Jodie Foster.
