Julia Roberts will be honored with the inaugural Gala Icon Award, which will celebrate “an artist whose career has had a significant global cultural impact” at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures’ second annual Academy Museum Gala, a Met Gala-like fundraiser, the museum announced Friday.
Event on Oct. 15, 2022, is being co-chaired by Oscar-winning actresses Halle Berry and Lupita Nyong’o and two Academy Museum trustees, Oscar-nominated producer Jason Blum and Emmy-winning writer/director/producer Ryan Murphy, the Erin Brockovich Oscar winner will be feted alongside previously announced honorees Miky Lee (the Pillar Award for “exemplary leadership and support for the Academy Museum”), Steve McQueen (the Vantage Award for “an artist or scholar who has helped to contextualize and challenge dominant narratives around cinema”) and Tilda Swinton (the Visionary Award for “an artist or scholar whose extensive oeuvre has advanced the art of cinema”).
Jacqueline Stewart, the newly named director and president of the Academy Museum, said in a statement “Over the course of her expansive and renowned career, Julia has embodied iconic characters and memorable roles,” “We are thrilled to be honoring her continued excellence in the industry and contribution to the arts. We are deeply grateful to Julia, Miky, Steve, and Tilda, to Rolex, and to our co-chairs and host committee for making our second annual Gala an evening to remember.”
More than $11 million raised by the inaugural 2021 gala for the museum.
The museum also announced that a host of big names have joined the gala host committee, among them: newly minted Oscar winner Ariana DeBose, as well as Adrien Brody, Amanda Seyfried and Thomas Sadoski, Awkwafina, Billie Lourd, Bryce Dallas Howard, Chloe Sevigny, Colman Domingo, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Darren Criss, Eddie Redmayne, Eiza Gonzalez, Elle Fanning, Emma Roberts, George C. Wolfe, Glenn Close, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jennifer Garner, Jessica Alba, Joe Jonas & Sophie Turner, Jon Hamm, Jonathan Majors, Judd Apatow & Leslie Mann, Kate Hudson, Kathryn Hahn, Keke Palmer, Kid Cudi, Kirsten Dunst, Leonardo DiCaprio, Letitia Wright, Lily Collins, Lucy Liu, Natasha Lyonne, Orlando Bloom, Regina Hall, Renee Zellweger, Riley Keough, Robert Duvall, Ron Howard, Ruth Negga and Selma Blair.
Overseeing event production and design are gala creative director Lisa Love and artistic director Raul Avila.