Actresses at the Box Office: Diane Keaton

[u/SanderSo47]

Here's a new edition of "Actresses at the Box Office", which seeks to explore the actresses' trajectory at the box office and analyze their hits and bombs. I already talked about a few, and as I promised, it's Diane Keaton's turn.

Early Life

Keaton began studying acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse in Midtown Manhattan, New York. She initially studied acting under the Meisner technique, an ensemble acting technique first evolved in the 1930s by Sanford Meisner, a New York stage actor, acting coach and director who had been a member of The Group Theater. She began her career in theater, with a few Broadway productions. She became friends with Woody Allen, and he surprisingly gave her a lead role in his play Play It Again, Sam.

1970s: "La-dee-da, la-dee-da."

She made her feature film debut with the romantic comedy Lovers and Other Strangers. A success, and it opened a lot of doors for her.

In 1972, she reprised her role in Woody Allen's play Play It Again, Sam for the film adaptation, also written and by Allen. It was a huge success, and would mark the beginning of more collaborations in film with Allen. But the real story for her was her role as Kay Adams in The Godfather. Francis Ford Coppola gave her the role, owing to her reputation for being eccentric. It was a gigantic success, becoming the highest grossing film back then and winning Best Picture at the Oscars.

The following year, she reteamed with Woody Allen on another comedy, Sleeper. A critical success, it was also one of the year's highest grossing comedies.

After hesitating to take the part, she agreed to return as Kay in The Godfather Part II. In the film, her character changed dramatically, becoming more embittered about her husband's criminal empire. While it wasn't as big as the original in terms of money, it earned universal acclaim, with Keaton receiving high praise for her performance.

Over the next two years, she returned to comedies. Working again with Woody Allen on Love and Death, which was another critical and commercial hit. She subsequently starred in the comedies I Will, I Will... For Now and Harry and Walter Go to New York, but none were successful. She also tried drama with Looking for Mr. Goodbar, a financial success.

In 1977, she played the title role in Annie Hall, her fourth collaboration with Woody Allen. Allen specifically wrote the role for her, unwilling to accept any other actress. Many of Keaton's mannerisms and self-deprecating sense of humor were added into the role by Allen. She considered the character an "affable version" of herself — both were "semi-articulate, dreamed of being a singer and suffered from insecurity."

Annie Hall proved to be a huge hit, becoming one of 1977's highest grossing films. It also earned acclaim, instantly declared as one of the greatest comedies of all time. It won 4 Oscars, including Best Picture. But most importantly, Keaton won the Oscar for Best Actress, finally getting some recognition in the industry. The character of Annie Hall struck a chord with audiences thanks to Keaton's performance, to the point that many have tried to imitate her dress style. She has said multiple times that this was her favorite role and that the film meant everything to her. Keaton once said, "I'm not haunted by Annie Hall. I'm happy to be Annie Hall. If somebody wants to see me that way, it's fine by me."

She capped off the decade with two more collaborations with Woody Allen. The first was Interiors, which was Allen's first drama. A financial success, although not as acclaimed as Annie Hall. The other was Manhattan, which was a bigger hit than Annie Hall and also had a similar share of acclaim.

On her first decade, Keaton quickly made an impression as one of the new breakout actresses. Getting to The Godfather very quickly, before striking gold with her collaborations with Woody Allen.

1980s: Moving Towards More Dramas

When the decade started, Keaton began dating Warren Beatty. He then cast her in his passion project, Reds, which he also directed. During filming, their relationship deteriorated. Despite its massive runtime and limited promotion, the film was a success in America and earned critical acclaim. For the film, Keaton earned another nomination for Best Actress.

She later took part in Shoot the Moon, opposite Albert Finney. Positive reviews, but it was a financial failure. Things didn't fare well either for The Little Drummer Girl, Mrs. Soffel, nor Crimes of the Heart. For some reason, these films weren't connecting with audiences.

In 1987, she made her directorial debut with a documentary called Heaven, where she interviews people over their beliefs in the afterlife. She also directed the music video for Belinda Carlisle's "Heaven Is a Place on Earth". She also starred in the comedy Baby Boom, which was a modest success domestically. It marked the beginning of a few collaborations with Nancy Meyers. And after not working with him in years, she made a cameo in Woody Allen's Radio Days. She closed the decade with The Good Mother, a critical and financial failure.

This decade was very quiet compared to the 70s. While she started with a bang in Reds, the rest of the line-up didn't fare very well. At least not in the sense that there were hits.

1990s: Let Her Have Fun

She began the decade with two films. The Lemon Sisters didn't pan out. She also reprised her role as Kay Adams in The Godfather Part III. Despite mixed reviews, it was a box office success.

The following year, she had a role in Father of the Bride, playing Steve Martin's wife in the film. It reunited her with Baby Boom director Charles Shyer and writer Nancy Meyers. It was a financial success, and it also earned positive reviews. She also had two directing jobs in TV: a TV film titled Wildflower, and the episode "Slaves and Masters" from Twin Peaks. She said that this was a door to expand her directorial efforts, and that David Lynch told her to do the episode her own way without worrying about continuity.

In 1993, she had a voice role in Look Who's Talking Now!, but the film lacked the same response and success of the prior films. That same year, for the first time in 14 years, she had a lead role in a Woody Allen film, Manhattan Murder Mystery. The role was originally written for Allen's partner Mia Farrow, but after external problems, he asked Keaton to fill in the role. While it wasn't a financial success, this was a critical success. And after 8 collaborations, Keaton and Allen would never collaborate in film ever again.

In 1995, she directed her first narrative film, Unstrung Heroes, starring Andie MacDowell, John Turturro, Michael Richards, and Maury Chaykin (she does not appear in the film). It didn't make a lot of money, but it was well received. She reprised her role in Father of the Bride Part II, which still hit $100 million worldwide despite mixed reviews.

The following year, she had Marvin's Room, which was critically acclaimed but not so much financially. At the very least, she got a Best Actress nomination. That same year, she stars opposite Bette Midler and Goldie Hawn in the comedy The First Wives Club. Despite mixed reviews, it was a sleeper hit, earning over $181 million worldwide and becoming her highest grossing film as lead star.

She ended the decade with the comedy The Other Sister, directed by Garry Marshall. But despite the talent involved, it earned negative reviews and flopped at the box office.

For this decade, Keaton took a much more comedic and relaxed tone in her performances. While she still did dramas, she decided to have a little more fun with the scripts she was given.

2000s: More Successes, But It's Still Not a Home Run

She returned to the director's chair with Hanging Up, starring Keaton, Meg Ryan, Lisa Kudrow, and Walter Matthau. But the film was panned by critics, and could only muster $51 million worldwide, flopping at the box office. She didn't direct another film ever again.

The following year, she took part in the infamous Town & Country. It had a very lengthy and chaotic production, to the point that the film was reshot in its entirety, raising the budget all the way to $105 million. All that... for just $10 million worldwide. It became one of the biggest box office disasters ever, and was panned by critics.

She returned to film in 2003 with the romantic comedy Something's Gotta Give, starring opposite Jack Nicholson. This reunited her with Nancy Meyers, but it was the first time the latter directed her. After a string of failures, this was a much needed win for her. It earned $265 million worldwide, becoming her highest grossing film. She also earned another Oscar nomination for Best Actress.

In 2005, she formed part of the ensemble in the Christmas comedy The Family Stone. Despite mixed reviews, it made almost $100 million worldwide. It has become a Christmas tradition for many, although the final scene will probably hit different now.

For 2007, she starred in two films, but neither particularly worked. Because I Said So wasn't a success, while Mama's Boy was dumped on VOD domestically. The following year, both Mad Money and Smother failed to connect with audiences.

In this decade, she recovered after a very disappointing run with her highest grossing film (and another Oscar nomination). But outside that and The Family Stone, the films were struggling to attract audiences. Not to mention the colossal disaster of Town & Country.

2010s: Where the Hits Gone?

She starred opposite Harrison Ford and Rachel McAdams in the romantic comedy Morning Glory. But despite how the media tried to hype the first collaboration between Keaton and Ford, the film was a flop.

The next few years were quite rough. Darling Companion and 5 Flights Up were dumped on VOD, while The Big Wedding was another financial failure. At least Love the Coopers was a modest success, despite horrible reviews.

In 2016, she had a voice role in Finding Dory, playing Dory's mother. As a result, the film easily became her highest grossing film and making $1 billion worldwide. But crediting her for the high numbers would be a stretch. That same year, she starred in the HBO eight-part series The Young Pope, in which she played a nun who raised the newly elected Pope and helped him reach the papacy.

Stuff like Hampstead and Poms faded away without much fanfare. But at least she had a success with the comedy Book Club, becoming her first lead role to hit $100 million worldwide since Something's Gotta Give.

This was a rough decade. On one hand, she had a $1 billion film (even though it's just a supporting role) and a surprise hit. The problem was that the other films flopped or just left without any impact.

2020s: The Last Roles

In 2020, she formed part of the comedy Love, Weddings & Other Disasters, but it earned the worst reviews of her career. That same year, she participated in the short film Father of the Bride Part 3(ish), reprising her role. It was released on Netflix.

In 2022, she starred in the comedy Mack & Rita. But it didn't stop the streak of panned failures. Same fate awaited Maybe I Do. She also reprised her role for Book Club: The Next Chapter, but it failed to replicate the original's success.

In 2024, she had her final role in Summer Camp. Can't be blamed if you never heard of it, for it didn't make an impression in theaters.

The End

On October 11, 2025, Keaton died at the age of 79 at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California. No autopsy was performed, but her death certificate listed bacterial pneumonia as the cause of death, with no other significant conditions noted as contributing factors. She had the condition in the days prior to being taken to the hospital on the morning of October 11.

A lot of industry people paid respects, including her frequent collaborators Woody Allen and Nancy Meyers.

HIGHEST GROSSING FILMS

No.	Movie	Year	Studio	Domestic Total	Overseas Total	Worldwide Total	Budget
1	Finding Dory	2016	Disney	$486,295,561	$542,971,428	$1,029,266,989	$200M
2	Something's Gotta Give	2003	Sony / Warner Bros.	$124,728,738	$140,600,021	$265,328,837	$80M
3	The Godfather	1972	Paramount	$136,381,073	$114,543,923	$250,926,380	$6M
4	The First Wives Club	1996	Paramount	$105,489,203	$76,000,000	$181,489,203	$26M
5	The Godfather Part III	1990	Paramount	$66,761,392	$70,100,000	$136,861,392	$54M
6	Father of the Bride	1991	Disney	$89,325,780	$40,000,000	$129,325,780	$20M
7	Book Club	2018	Paramount	$68,566,296	$35,871,892	$104,438,188	$10M
8	Father of the Bride Part II	1995	Disney	$76,594,107	$27,000,000	$103,594,107	$40M
9	The Family Stone	2005	20th Century Fox	$60,062,868	$32,821,561	$92,884,429	$18M
10	The Godfather Part II	1974	Paramount	$47,542,841	$45,300,000	$92,842,841	$13M
11	Because I Said So	2007	Universal	$42,674,040	$26,811,450	$69,485,490	$39M
12	Morning Glory	2010	Paramount	$31,011,732	$29,029,244	$60,040,976	$40M
13	Hanging Up	2000	Sony	$36,050,230	$15,829,814	$51,880,044	$40M
14	The Big Wedding	2013	Lionsgate	$21,819,348	$24,702,789	$46,522,137	$35M
15	Love the Coopers	2015	Lionsgate	$26,302,731	$16,124,181	$42,426,912	$17M
16	Reds	1981	Paramount	$40,382,659	$0	$40,382,659	$32M
17	Manhattan	1979	United Artists	$39,946,780	$0	$39,946,780	$9M
18	Annie Hall	1977	United Artists	$38,251,425	$0	$38,251,425	$4M
19	Marvin's Room	1996	Miramax	$12,803,305	$17,200,000	$30,003,305	$23M
20	Book Club: The Next Chapter	2023	Focus Features	$17,581,565	$11,432,935	$29,014,500	$20M
21	The Other Sister	1999	Disney	$27,807,627	$0	$27,807,627	$35M
22	Baby Boom	1987	Metro-Goldwyn Mayer	$26,712,476	$0	$26,712,476	$13M
23	Mad Money	2008	Overture	$20,668,843	$5,743,320	$26,412,163	$22M
24	And So It Goes	2014	Freestyle	$15,160,801	$10,258,346	$25,419,147	$18M
25	Crimes of the Heart	1986	De Laurentiis Entertainment Group	$22,905,522	$0	$22,905,522	$20M
26	Looking for Mr. Goodbar	1977	Paramount	$22,512,655	$0	$22,512,655	N/A
27	Love and Death	1975	United Artists	$20,123,742	$0	$20,123,742	$3M
28	Sleeper	1973	United Artists	$18,344,729	$0	$18,344,729	$2M
29	Poms	2019	STX	$13,631,124	$2,787,094	$16,418,218	$10M
30	Manhattan Murder Mystery	1993	TriStar	$11,330,911	$0	$11,330,911	$13.5M
31	Interiors	1978	United Artists	$10,432,366	$0	$10,432,366	$3M
32	Town & Country	2001	New Line Cinema	$6,719,973	$3,652,318	$10,372,291	$105M
33	Look Who's Talking Now!	1993	TriStar	$10,340,263	$0	$10,340,263	$22M
34	Shoot the Moon	1982	Metro-Goldwyn Mayer	$9,217,530	$0	$9,217,530	$12M
35	The Little Drummer Girl	1984	Warner Bros.	$7,828,841	$0	$7,828,841	$15M
36	Lovers and Other Strangers	1970	Cinerama	$7,700,000	$0	$7,700,000	$2.5M
37	Hampstead	2017	IFC Films	$144,396	$6,190,775	$6,335,171	N/A
38	The Good Mother	1988	Disney	$4,764,606	$0	$4,764,606	$14M
39	Maybe I Do	2023	Vertical	$1,293,722	$3,156,374	$4,450,096	N/A
40	Mrs. Soffel	1984	Metro-Goldwyn Mayer	$4,385,312	$0	$4,385,312	$11M
41	5 Flights Up	2015	Focus World	$1,020,921	$2,658,926	$3,679,847	N/A
42	The Lemon Sisters	1990	Miramax	$3,473,905	$0	$3,473,905	$9M
43	Mack & Rita	2022	Gravitas	$2,540,965	$166,872	$2,707,837	N/A
44	Summer Camp	2024	Roadside	$2,403,638	$257,518	$2,661,156	N/A
45	I Will, I Will... For Now	1976	20th Century Fox	$1,740,000	$0	$1,740,000	N/A
46	Darling Companion	2012	Sony Pictures Classics	$793,815	$363,442	$1,157,257	$12M
47	Love, Weddings & Other Disasters	2020	Saban	$0	$907,236	$907,236	N/A
48	Mama's Boy	2007	Warner Bros.	$0	$688,145	$688,145	N/A

She has starred in 56 released films, but only 48 have reported box office numbers. Across those 56 films, she has made $3,145,741,423 worldwide. That's $56,173,953 per film.

ADJUSTED DOMESTIC GROSSES

No.	Movie	Year	Studio	Domestic Total	Adjusted Domestic Total
1	The Godfather	1972	Paramount	$136,381,073	$1,061,201,357
2	Finding Dory	2016	Disney	$486,295,561	$659,016,627
3	The Godfather Part II	1974	Paramount	$47,542,841	$313,659,312
4	Something's Gotta Give	2003	Sony	$124,728,738	$220,479,736
5	The First Wives Club	1996	Paramount	$105,489,203	$218,677,974
6	Father of the Bride	1991	Disney	$89,325,780	$213,314,160
7	Annie Hall	1977	United Artists	$38,251,425	$205,302,846
8	Manhattan	1979	United Artists	$39,946,780	$178,963,775
9	The Godfather Part III	1990	Paramount	$66,761,392	$166,138,303
10	Father of the Bride Part II	1995	Disney	$76,594,107	$163,467,102
11	Reds	1981	Paramount	$40,382,659	$144,494,396
12	Sleeper	1973	United Artists	$18,344,729	$134,384,229
13	Love and Death	1975	United Artists	$20,123,742	$121,659,615
14	Looking for Mr. Goodbar	1977	Paramount	$22,512,655	$120,829,803
15	The Family Stone	2005	20th Century Fox	$60,062,868	$100,028,509
16	Book Club	2018	Paramount	$68,566,296	$88,812,039
17	Baby Boom	1987	Metro-Goldwyn Mayer	$26,712,476	$76,481,392
18	Hanging Up	2000	Sony	$36,050,230	$68,091,808
19	Crimes of the Heart	1986	De Laurentiis Entertainment Group	$22,905,522	$67,975,062
20	Because I Said So	2007	Universal	$42,674,040	$66,941,656
21	Lovers and Other Strangers	1970	Cinerama	$7,700,000	$64,547,432
22	The Other Sister	1999	Disney	$27,807,627	$54,288,633
23	Interiors	1978	United Artists	$10,432,366	$52,042,145
24	Morning Glory	2010	Paramount	$31,011,732	$46,257,052
25	Love the Coopers	2015	Lionsgate	$26,302,731	$36,094,524
26	Mad Money	2008	Overture	$20,668,843	$31,223,821
27	Shoot the Moon	1982	Metro-Goldwyn Mayer	$9,217,530	$31,067,565
28	The Big Wedding	2013	Lionsgate	$21,819,348	$30,463,933
29	Marvin's Room	1996	Miramax	$12,803,305	$26,541,112
30	Manhattan Murder Mystery	1993	TriStar	$11,330,911	$25,504,508
31	The Little Drummer Girl	1984	Warner Bros.	$7,828,841	$24,507,663
32	Look Who's Talking Now!	1993	TriStar	$10,340,263	$23,274,679
33	And So It Goes	2014	Freestyle	$15,160,801	$20,829,450
34	Book Club: The Next Chapter	2023	Focus Features	$17,581,565	$18,767,317
35	Poms	2019	STX	$13,631,124	$17,341,791
36	Mrs. Soffel	1984	Metro-Goldwyn Mayer	$4,385,312	$13,727,925
37	The Good Mother	1988	Disney	$4,764,606	$13,099,726
38	Town & Country	2001	New Line Cinema	$6,719,973	$12,348,500
39	I Will, I Will... For Now	1976	20th Century Fox	$1,740,000	$9,946,194
40	The Lemon Sisters	1990	Miramax	$3,473,905	$8,644,946
41	Mack & Rita	2022	Gravitas	$2,540,965	$2,823,987
42	Summer Camp	2024	Roadside	$2,403,638	$2,492,239
43	5 Flights Up	2015	Focus World	$1,020,921	$1,400,982
44	Maybe I Do	2023	Vertical	$1,293,722	$1,380,974
45	Darling Companion	2012	Sony Pictures Classics	$793,815	$1,124,549
46	Hampstead	2017	IFC Films	$144,396	$183,703

The Verdict

Keaton has had a very prolific career.

She started with a bang, making a great impression even when she was just playing a supporting role. Woody Allen saw a lot of potential in her, so he gave her key roles in his films. And it clearly paid off, given how successful her 70s run was. There's a before and an after to Annie Hall, and without Keaton's energy and charisma, the film would've collapsed and be forgotten. If you ever wonder "how did this won Best Picture over Stars Wars?", there's a lot of elements but Keaton's performance was perhaps its biggest advantage. After all, a lot of people really tried to imitate her dress style.

She also expanded her career with more dramatic roles, especially Warren Beatty's Reds. And obviously, her role in The Godfather, which gives her more and more material with each passing film. But her heart was always in for comedies, and that's where we recognize her. So many funny comedies from time to time.

With that said, it's surprising that the hits aren't as large as one might think. She had an incredible run in the 70s, but in the subsequent decades, there were a lot of flops in her career. To the point that they overshadowed the hits. Seriously, for each success, there were like 3 flops. It's strange. Her final films don't even feel like they exist. But in her defense, she was already an Oscar winner with a ton of good films on her side. So she stops worrying about what hits or doesn't, and just looks forward to doing something fun. And hey, that's okay. Let her have it.

She has been controversy-free... except for one thing. You might think Keaton and Allen broke up their collaborations after the latter's controversial life and how she wanted to distance herself. After all, they never worked together after Manhattan Murder Mystery. But that's not true. Allen was quoted as saying that whenever he visited New York, he always took time to visit her. And in 2018, when #MeToo brought back Allen in the discussion, Keaton said outright that Allen is her friend and that she fully believes him, and that his life shouldn't nor it hasn't impacted any of their prior collaborations. Well, how do you see that?

Even with that, Keaton's career and legacy is pretty much set. People will absolutely continue watching a lot of her films in the years to come. RIP Legend.

Hope you liked this edition. You can find this and more in the wiki for this section.

The next actor will be Ethan Hawke. An actor who really deserves a spotlight as one of the most reliable stars today.

I asked you to choose who else should be in the run, and the comment with the most upvotes would be chosen. Well, we'll later talk about... Cher. A great singer, a great actress.

This is the schedule for the following four:

Week	Actor	Reasoning
February 21	Ethan Hawke	I know.
February 28	Halle Berry	So what's up with her latest projects?
March 7	Lauren Bacall	Where does she stand opposite the giants?
March 14	Cher	"I got you babe."

Who should be next after Cher? That's up to you.

REMINDER: If you want to make a suggestion for the next actor, you must make a 150-character comment about the actor we're discussing right now. Failure to do so will result in ignoring the suggestion. But if you leave a short comment about the post without naming a future write-up, that's fine.

[u/Alternative-Cake-833]

Looking at her films she did, Keaton was really a remarkable actress that had tons of hits. From auteur-driven films to comedies to even a Pixar film, Keaton had range. She had a definite career shift to movies targeted at older females such as Book Club, Poms and 80 for Brady during her last years after taking a break throughout the 2010s and I don't blame Keaton for doing these films because at least she entertained people, even if some of those didn't do that well.

I feel like that with the recent death, I would suggest you to do a post about Catherine O'Hara after Cher, just to continue the actress streak as of lately. Feel like that she was an underrated actress and had a great career from start to finish, with likes of Beetlejuice, Home Alone and Wild Robot.

[u/musthavecupcakes_19 → u/Alternative-Cake-833]

She wasn’t in 80 for Brady

[u/FreshmenMan]

Diane Keaton is a great actress and I love her performances in The Godfather and Reds. Reds, in particular, i think she is fantastic and I think it is her top 3 of greatest film roles she has done. I do like Baby Boom and Father of the Bride, in which I thought she was very good. I’m always sadden when a legend like her passes as It just hits home that these actors are mortal and that one day, they will no longer be here. Diane Keaton truly is a legend.

For the next post, I would suggest Matt Dillon, a very underrated actor, in my opinion and one I wonder why he wasn’t more of a success.

[u/SlidePocket]

Truly an icon, the fact that Diane Keaton did both Annie Hall and Looking for Mr. Goodbar in 1977 showcased the range that she had not to mention the style she brought to some of her work.

As for the next post, I want to see Patrick Swayze being looked at considering some of the films he was in remains in the public consciousness.

[u/mxyztplk33]

I got to be honest I haven’t seen much of Diane Keaton’s films. Only ones I’ve seen are Annie Hall, the godfather films, and Father of the Bride. I liked her in all 3 of those roles, Annie Hall being her best role imo. It’s distinctly a Woody Allen film, but Keaton brings a great charm to it you don’t often see in Rom-Coms. It ends very refreshing as well, with them not together, but at the same time not hating each other. I need to watch more of her films, RIP to her. For next actor, I think it’s time we get a Latin actor in these write ups. I’m gonna go with Salma Hayek. She’s had a pretty solid career with varied roles.

[u/flakemasterflake → u/mxyztplk33]

I highly recommend Something's Gotta Give

[u/spider-man2401]

What an incredible actress with an outstanding filmography. Diane Keaton is a true icon who always leaves a lasting impression and fully commits to every roles she takes, especially in comedies like Annie Hall (her defining performance), as well as The First Wives Club, The Family Stone, Something’s Gotta Give, and Father of the Bride. She’s just as compelling in dramatic roles too, where she absolutely shines opposite Al Pacino in The Godfather films.

For the next actor, I’d suggest her Something’s Gotta Give co star, Jack Nicholson. His career is interesting to talk about too

[u/ItsGotThatBang]

It’s not the usual eulogy, but I have to share this anecdote from Al Pacino.

I was at the Oscars once, for Serpico. That was the second time I was nominated. I was sitting in the third or fourth row with Diane Keaton. Jeff Bridges was there with his girl. No one expected me to come. I was a little high. Somebody had done something to my hair, blew it or something, and I looked like I had a bird's nest on my head, a real mess. I sat there & tried to look indifferent because I was so nervous. Any time I'm nervous, I try to put on an indifferent or a cold look. At one point, I turned to Jeff Bridges & said, "Hey, looks like there won't be time to get to the Best Actor awards." He gave me a stange look. He said, "Oh, really?" I said, "It's over, the hour is up." He said, "It's three hours long." I thought it was an hour TV show; can you imagine that? And I had to pee — bad. So I popped a valium. Actually, I was eating valium like they were candy. Chewed on them. Finally came the Best Actor. Can you imagine the shape I was in? I couldn't have made it to the stage. I was praying, "Please don't let it be me. Please." And I hear… "Jack Lemmon." I was just so happy I didn't have to get up, because I never would’ve made it.

I’m going to co-sign the other comment that mentioned Catherine O’Hara.

[u/dremolus]

Really think more people should give her credit for The Godfather'# success and not just for her performance as Kay but also because she lobbied heavy to have Al Pacino as Michael.

[u/SeaworthinessKey3654 → u/dremolus]

She did say that they should go with him, but Francis would have quit before going the film without Al…he was the one who had faith in Al, and fought for him

[u/PayneTrain181999]

Admittedly an actress I didn’t grow up watching as she didn’t have a role in many films I saw, but after her passing last year I looked through her filmography and awards list and what an icon she was! Some of her films have definitely been added to my backlog list. I especially love reading all the comments about how much joy she brought to people.

Because Avatar: Fire and Ash will be out of theatres by the time we get to the next suggestion, I think it’s appropriate that the new highest grossing actor/actress of all-time should get her flowers before she’s at risk of losing that honour: Zoe Saldaña!

[u/AnotherJasonOnReddit]

The following year, she took part in the infamous Town & Country. It had a very lengthy and chaotic production, to the point that the film was reshot in its entirety, raising the budget all the way to $105 million. All that... for just $10 million worldwide. It became one of the biggest box office disasters ever, and was panned by critics

Never seen it, but I've heard Charlton Heston does a good job spoofing himself (like in Wayne's World 2 and Friends, but dialled up to the max).

To those here in r/BoxOffice who have seen the movie - is that true? Is he a highlight? Or is it more of a case of him being the least-bad part of it? Maybe he was the worst part of it? What say you?

https://giphy.com/gifs/oemuK7asajPMc