Jeremy Irons Receives SCAD Etoile for Lifetime Achievement in Cinema Award

Jeremy Irons received Savannah College of Art and Design’s Etoile for Lifetime Achievement in Cinema award at this year’s SCAD Lacoste Film Festival.

The four-day festival took place at the university’s satellite campus in Lacoste, France, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

The Dead Ringers actor visited Lacoste not only to receive the Etoile award, but to be honored with a film series titled Cinéma Elégance: A Celebration of Jeremy Irons that included screenings of Reversal of Fortune, The French Lieutenant’s Woman, and The Man Who Knew Infinity.

Irons also gave a talk together with Andra Reeve-Rabb, dean of the SCAD School of Entertainment Arts, following the screening of 1981’s The French Lieutenant’s Woman, which was his very first starring role.

“SCAD is an organization I came to meet in Savannah, Georgia on one of their film festivals there and I was blown away,” Irons said in his Etoile award acceptance speech.

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“Now, I know what it’s like — those of you who are indigenous French here from Provence probably think, ‘What are all these Americans doing?’ Well, they’re certainly doing up Lacoste and bringing some extraordinary creatives here into Provence.”

Irons added that it’s “wonderful” for students to be absorbed into the Lacoste community, “getting to know places where such people as Van Gogh would have spent time when he was trying to earn a penny or two from his paintings.”

“To give young students the chance to be here, to learn, to experience what many of us take for granted, I think, is a huge privilege for all of us and for this area,” he added. “So thank you, SCAD, not only for what you give to young people studying art and design, technology, whatever — but thank you to the locals for welcoming them and for coming tonight to see a very old movie. The second movie I have made, my first starring role.”

Though it’s not easy for Irons to watch his own performance from back when he was just starting out, he was willing to do it.

“I looked at it now through gritted teeth, thinking, ‘Oh, I would have done that differently.’ But I’m going to sit and watch it because I haven’t seen it for years, and maybe it’s gotten better,” he said. “Thank you SCAD for this, and welcome to a great night.”

Main Image: Jeremy Irons receives the 2022 Etoile Lifetime Achievement Award in Cinema from SCAD in Lacoste, France. Photography Courtesy of SCAD.