Dame Joan Collins has been honoured with the Power of Women Icon of the Year award at Variety’s Inaugural Power of Women London event yesterday. She has had an incredible career spanning seven decades, from Hollywood’s golden era to becoming one of the most iconic women on TV in Dynasty – and now delivering the performance of her life in My Duchess.
Dame Joan reflected on her successful career as a performer and producer: “I discovered that to survive in this business and to thrive, you have to show which women are needed to reinvent themselves. We have to reinvent ourselves time and time again.”
She also teased her upcoming film with John Gore Studios, My Duchess, in which she plays Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor: “It’s in the last nine years of her life when she was a strong and powerful woman at the beginning, but her strength and her power were totally destroyed by, sadly, another woman. I think it shows a lot of what is going on in the world, which is elder abuse.”
Variety’s publisher and co-president Dea Lawrence said that Britain’s “distinctive storytelling” was of great importance when she explained why the publication has brought Power of Women to London. “The stories that are being told here are unique to Britain, but there’s this rare magical element that they translate globally, and that is really special.”
This year’s honourees included Emilia Clarke, Emma Corrin, Cynthia Erivo, Hannah Waddingham and Suki Waterhouse. They will each be featured on separate covers of the accompanying Variety issue. As with previous Power of Women events in Los Angeles, New York, and Nashville, each honouree will highlight a charity of their choice, and Variety will make a donation to each selected organisation.
