“Be on time and don’t be an a–hole,” smiled Helen Mirren, in pink Stella McCartney and colorful Margot McKinney jewels, not missing a beat when asked what it takes to build and sustain a long career in Hollywood.
Her answer landed like a mic drop at Golden Eve, a new primetime special airing Thursday on CBS that celebrates work defined by excellence and lasting impact. The evening, which will also stream on Paramount+, honored Mirren, 80, with the Cecil B. DeMille Award and Sarah Jessica Parker, 60, with the Carol Burnett Award, recognizing artists who have shaped film, television and generations of audiences.
Longtime collaborators gathered to pay tribute, with Harrison Ford presenting to Mirren and last year’s honorees Ted Danson and Viola Davis returning. Guests included Matthew Broderick, Pamela Anderson, Tessa Thompson, Amanda Seyfried, Stellan Skarsgård, Mona Fastvold, Colman Domingo, Natasha Rothwell, Kristin Davis — and her fellow “Sex and the City” costars David Eigenberg and Evan Handler.
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“It’s thrilling,” Kristin Davis said of reuniting. “I always love to see everybody. It’s very exciting. Cynthia [Nixon] is doing a play or she’d be here. It’s amazing to get to honor Sarah.”
Parker, wearing a Paolo Sebastian gown, looked back with gratitude: “I am feeling good fortune that I was able to sort it all out and carve out a career for myself. And I don’t pretend I didn’t work hard — and was dedicated to the point of distraction, perhaps — but I think that I’m always aware that other people worked just as hard and didn’t have that same good fortune. I’m proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish, but sometimes I’m a little bit heartsick over those that were really talented. So on a night like tonight, when I’m forced to reflect, I feel incredibly lucky that I got to work on the kind of projects I did, and learn from legends and emerging actors, have extraordinary stories to tell and great directors. I feel like I really got far more than I had ever hoped for.”
Kristin Davis, wearing St. John, offered her own perspective on longevity.
“I think you really have to have a very strong work ethic,” she said. “Sometimes young people might not understand that, no offense. We were brought up to just give your all every day, no matter how many hours you’re there, no matter how cold it is, whatever it is, right? And I think there’s also a lot of luck, because I know so many super talented people who don’t get the chances that we’ve had. But I think now there’s a lot more opportunities for young people to make their own content and make their own name.”
While the evening celebrated decades of Hollywood achievements, Mel Robbins arrived from a different path, new to the awards scene. Nominated in the Golden Globes’ newly introduced Best Podcast category, Robbins, an author and lawyer known for her practical, no-nonsense advice, was savoring every second.
“The moment I found out that podcasting was going to be honored, I was so excited,” she said. “Most people don’t realize, in three years, more than 700 million people around the world have hit play on my show. The global impact, nobody understands, we put about 100 hours into every episode. So to be recognized for not just sitting around a mic, but production excellence felt so amazing.”
She wore Khaite for the occasion.
“I’ve never been on a red carpet,” she said. “I’ve never been at a big event like this. I live in Vermont….I’m just really excited, because I don’t get to do anything like this.”
