A Royal Affair: Princess Grace Awards

On Wednesday, CGG went to the Princess Grace Awards Gala, a great event that honors achievements in the arts and awards grants to young up-and-coming artists. The Princess Grace Foundation is a non-profit that supports emerging artists in theater, dance and film through scholarships, grants and fellowships. Acting legend Glenn Close was on hand to accept the night’s award for outstanding achievement in the arts, and other big stars skipped watching the last presidential debate to support this great cause. We caught up with some of them to see why it was important to them to be there, and chatted about.

Actor, Jeff Goldblum was excited to come out for the arts, asking us “how can I not support the arts? It changed my life and I know it transforms the lives of many.” He also filled us in on the causes he’s passionate about, which include the environmental group, Oceana and hunger causes, and told us that not only does he act, but he’s been teaching acting for the last 20 years. We asked him if he reminds his students how tough it is to make it as an actor, but he tries to focus more on the “endeavor of acting,” while reminding them that “it’s only meant for the stout of heart and the wildly passionate. I do tell them you shouldn’t focus on results. If you love doing it every day that’s its own reward and that’s the only reason you should do it.”

We chatted with Damages bombshell, Australian actress, Rose Byrne. Though she admits to being new to charity work, she told us her parents were very humanitarian and she’s getting involved with organizations like Greenpeace and Oxfam. Turning to politics, she mentioned she was missing her first debate of the campaign season, telling us how exciting she finds American politics. “America has such theater in their politics it’s not like that in Australia or England,” Byrne, “this year is so huge for America and the world at large so I’m obviously fascinated to see what’s going to happen…I’ll definitely be watching the re-run tonight.”

Finally we caught up with Ugly Betty maven, Judith Light, who plays the matriarch of the Meade family in the show, and talked with us about everything from the role of celebrity today to Proposition 8. Light said she TIVO’ed the debate and is “wildly interested in our political situation particularly now because I do feel in this country we are being shoved out of denial violently and I have a great deal of sorrow for the many people who are living in these times,” but added that she is optimistic about America, “because when you’re shoved out of denial the brilliance of that is that you can finally rise like phoenix and I think we will. I think that is who we are in this country so I’m looking for that.” Be read the whole interview, click here!