CANNES – Demi Moore may have forgotten her glasses but she was clearly in the mood for a toast to the laureates of this year’s Trophée Chopard during the Cannes Film Festival ceremony.
The actress joked that she had prepared a speech but then left her eyewear at the hotel, so she had to wing it when congratulating winners Mike Faist and Sophie Wilde. Named the “godmother” of this year’s class of winners, Moore had a sweet take on her responsibility.
“In my country, being a godmother kind of means that you have no responsibility, that you get to give the kids all the things that the parents don’t allow, like candy and toys. So to the two of you, if you ever need any junk food, any goodies – I’m your lady,” she joked.
On a serious note, Moore offered a helping hand to the up-and-coming actors. “You are both so accomplished and talented that I argue you need nothing from me, and you have all the resources within yourself to handle whatever comes your way,” she said.
“But as your appointed godmother, remember, I’m not just here for the fun stuff and you don’t have to do it alone,” she said.
It’s Moore’s first time back at the festival in 27 years, since she accompanied then-husband Bruce Willis for his film “The Fifth Element.” Which means it’s the first time she’s had a film of her own in competition with “The Substance,” which will premiere Sunday night.
“This place represents not just the top of cinematic art, but a place where dreams come through frames and stories. And the location isn’t too shabby either,” she said, gesturing to the waves just beyond the dinner tables.
Moore thanked Chopard copresident and creative director Caroline Scheufele for her gorgeous rocks, too.
“There’s no other place where you can show up and they bring jewels to your door every day,” she said of the unique atmosphere of the film festival. Moore wore an intricate Paraiba tourmaline and diamond necklace by Chopard that complemented the aqua color of her Balenciaga dress.
She welcomed Faist and Wilde to the stage. Both were clad in Loewe.
After a reel of his performances played in the room, including scenes from “West Side Story” and more, Faist said that he wanted to know who made the video. “Those were some pretty deep cuts. Who was able to find those?” he said, and downplayed his screen presence.
“It’s awful to watch yourself is the truth of the matter,” he said. It’s the first Cannes for the “Challengers” actor, who had spent the previous night at the screening of Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis” and the Chanel afterparty. He reveled in being in the presence of one of the greats, he said.
“I don’t take that lightly,” he said. “I feel as if I’m standing on the shoulders of giants, and standing on the shoulders of giants in the room.” He was looking at the jury table, where president Greta Gerwig was seated, along with fellow members including Eva Green, Lily Gladstone, Omar Sy, Un Certain Regard jury president Xavier Dolan and members Vicky Krieps, as well as guests including Kevin Costner, Eva Longoria, Julie Gayet, Carla Bruni and James Franco, among others.
“There’s something sort of surreal yet incredibly special about being recognized by a group of people who you really admire and whose work has been a kind of constant source of inspiration and energy,” added Wilde.
Film festival president Iris Knobloch thanked Scheufele and Chopard – the house behind the coveted Palme d’Or trophy – for their support of the film festival through the years.
“Chopard is one of the most cherished partners of the Cannes Film Festival for many reasons,” she said. “The festival would not be able to plan for the future if it could not count on the support of such faithful partners.”
The jury sat together at a long central table, and guests dined on three courses from chef Bruno Oger, which included a stuffed zucchini flower and herb cream.
Longoria dressed from the jewelry down for the night’s festivities. With a massive Chopard diamond choker, she went with a silver beaded column from Saudi designer Eman Alajlan to keep the focus on the stunning pieces.
””The jewelry led the the outfit tonight,” she said. “When it’s this big of a statement piece, we were like, ‘Okay, what could complement this?’”
The actress and director is a Cannes regular, and usually stays through the AmfAR gala in the second week. But this year it’s a quicker trip as she’s working on “Christmas Karma” in London, a new film from “Bend it Like Beckham” director Gurinder Chadha, co-starring Boy George and Billy Porter.
She admitted to being a bit starstruck when she first met George on set. “I was like, ‘I love you so much. Please don’t make me start singing every single song!’” she said of the “Karma Chameleon” singer.
The film is a musical, but Longoria is the only one who doesn’t sing, she divulged.
Quatari singer Dana Al Fadan closed out the night with a few songs, accompanied by a string quartet.
