Last night SAG awarded its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award to a well deserving, incredibly funny and talented actress, Lily Tomlin. The award was presented by none other than friend and former 9 to 5 co-star Dolly Parton, and the audience was treated to a moving and hilarious speech by Tomlin, who offered some sage advice to young actors.
“You must learn to tell when you’ve had too much to drink. Listen to your friends. When they stop talking to you, and start talking about you – saying things like, “did she have a purse?”
Tomlin also advised, “Don’t be anxious about missing an opportunity. Behind every failure is an opportunity someone wishes they had missed.”
Her acceptance speech deserves an award all of its own, proving just how funny and delightfully charming Tomlin continues to be, and always has been throughout her career. Many first fell in love with Tomlin on Laugh-In in the early seventies before she starred in the hit 1980 movie 9 to 5 with co-stars Jane Fonda and Dolly Parton. The veteran actress, producer, and writer has appeared in a long list of films and Tv series since, including Murphy Brown, The West Wing, Damages, Web Therapy, Grandma, and currently, Grace and Frankie.
Tomlin, 77, thanked her wife Jane Wagner, who was in the audience. “Thank those people on whose shoulders you stand,” she commented. “My partner, writer Jane Wagner, is the woman on whose shoulders I stand the tallest.”
Jane Wagner
Tomlin currently stars in the Netflix comedy series Grace and Frankie alongside Jane Fonda, which is currently in its third season.
At the end of her speech, Tomlin promises, “As long as I don’t have to audition, I just may be back.”
