Julianne Moore to receive Golden Icon award

Julianne Moore will be honored for her “extraordinary career” at the Zurich Film Festival.

The 65-year-old actress will receive the event’s Golden Icon Award in recognition of her “remarkable versatility” and “brilliant” performance in her new film, The Debut.

Julianne will be accompanied to the festival by Jesse Eisenberg, who directed her in The Debut and also in his 2022 filmmaking debut, When You Finish Saving the World.

Christian Jungen, CEO of the Zurich Film Festival, said in a statement: “Julianne Moore is one of the outstanding character actresses of American cinema. She possesses remarkable versatility and, time and again, manages to captivate us with her intense portrayals of the characters she plays.

“No matter which film we see her in, we find ourselves rooting for her characters.

“In the wonderful film The Debut, she delivers a brilliant performance as a woman who realizes it’s not too late to fulfill her deeply personal dream: becoming an actress. It is Julianne Moore’s love letter to her own profession - and thus the perfect film with which to thank her, with our Golden Icon Award, for so many wonderful cinematic experiences.”

Past recipients of the Golden Icon Award include Kate Winslet, Sylvester Stallone, and Sharon Stone.

The Zurich Film Festival takes place in Switzerland from September 24 through October 4.

The Debut centers on a shy woman who loses herself in the world of theater after being unexpectedly cast in a production of an original musical. Writer and director Jesse recently admitted that he had written the role especially for Julianne and would have pulled the plug on the project without her.

Speaking at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in Czechia, he said: “I was thinking, ‘If she doesn’t do this movie, it won’t get made, because she’s the only person on the planet who could do this thing.’ Which is a mistake as a writer. You don’t write for a movie star because chances are they’re busy, or don’t want to do it, and then you’re screwed. But with this, I was like, ‘I will only do this movie if Julianne says yes.’

“And I was so scared halfway through the script. I was telling my friend, ‘God, this is so awful, because only one person could do this part - and if she doesn’t like it, I’m screwed.’ So, it’s for her, but it’s also about my own experiences.”

Jesse also rejected suggestions that the movie is a musical.

The Social Network actor said: “No, the movie is not a musical in the sense that the characters break into song. The movie is about this woman who gets a part in a musical, and so you see her rehearse for it and you see her opening night. But no, it’s not a straightforward musical, which I think the movie studio is happy about.”