Laura Dern had a remarkable year with Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story and Greta Gerwig’s Little Women.

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival honored the actress with the Cinema Vanguard Award for her career and recent performances at the historic Arlington Theatre in Downtown Santa Barbara. It was the same festival and building that previously honored her father, Bruce Dern, with the Matlin Modern Master Award years earlier.

A short brief sit-down discussion was conducted by Pete Hammond, Deadline’s awards editor and chief film critic. Netflix’s chief content officer Ted Sarandos presented Dern with the award.

During the presentation, Dern talked about why she wanted to be an actress.

“I’m having so much damn fun. It’s amazing. And it wasn’t so fun as a teenager. I think I was caught up in the angst of it all trying to chase this idea of being an artist instead of realizing the privilege of doing what you love, the privilege of telling stories, and working with amazing storytellers,” she explained. “To not feel that it was overstated or arrogant to talk about the potential of healing through art. For us that make art, for those that witness art—we have a very broken home, and we’re all trying to figure it out. To have fierce and radical storytellers in film, television, and documentaries is the work. We’re so blessed. So to have anything to do with that just radical good fortune.”

Briefly, she addressed her experience of filming Star Wars with modern-day technology.

She stated, “It was an experience. I’ll never forget walking on the set and [the director] saying ‘action,’ and looking up to say my lines—all of which I expect—but then R2D2 and C-3PO are standing in front of me. And it’s crazy. I never need to take a hallucinogenic. I did a Star Wars film.”

Finally, she had to address Marriage Story, in which she played a conniving divorce lawyer. She is nominated for best performance by an actress in a supporting role at this year’s Academy Awards. It is her third Oscar nomination.

“It was an incredible gift to witness the movie. I read the script and cried for 20 minutes. I’ve seen the movie five times—I cried every time. I often forget my involvement in it, because I find it so deeply personal.

The festival’s audience was treated to various clips from her career, including films such as Citizen Ruth, Blue Velvet, Wild Angels, Wild, 99 Homes, Marriage Story, Little Women, and more.

LRM Online exclusively was on the red carpet to speak briefly with Laura Dern and other independent filmmakers before the event.

Check out the exclusive interviews below.

Source: LRM Online Exclusive