CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) \u2014 Dozens of cheering fans lined the streets of Cambridge Friday to celebrate the Australian actress Rose Byrne, who was honored as the 2026 Woman of the Year by Harvard University\u2019s Hasty Pudding Theatricals. <\/p>\n
Byrne, the Golden Globe Award winner and Oscar nominee for her leading role in \u201cIf I Had Legs I\u2019d Kick You,\u201d waved to fans and blew kisses as her car made its way slowly near Harvard University campus. Byrne, who also has starred in \u201cBridesmaids,\u201d \u201cNeighbors,\u201d \u201cInsidious\u201d and \u201cDamages,\u201d later received her pudding pot award at a celebratory roast and attended a performance of Hasty Pudding Theatricals\u2019 177th production \u201cSalooney Tunes.\u201d<\/p>\n
In her review of \u201cIf I Had Legs I\u2019d Kick You,\u201d The Associated Press\u2019 Jocelyn Noveck wrote<\/a> that the film gave Byrne \u201ca chance to display versatility and grit in surely the toughest dramatic role of her career.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m so excited to be in the parade and to see Rose Byrne. I loved her movie \u2018If I Had Legs I\u2019d Kick You,\u2019\u201d said Jacqueline Metzger, a junior at Harvard and president of the university\u2019s short-form improv group. \u201cIt was like so anxiety inducing and the best movie I\u2019ve seen all year. So I\u2019m super excited, and we love her. We love Rose Byrne.\u201d<\/p>\n The parade included a colorful cast of characters, some in drag and bright wigs, one dressed as a cactus, and several dressed as revolutionary soldiers. Before heading inside Farkas Hall for the roast, Byrne joined members of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals players in chorus line-style dancing. <\/p>\n At the roast, Byrne was put through a mock therapy session inspired by \u201cIf I Had Legs I\u2019d Kick You.\u201d She was asked to interpret a series of ink blots including one painting that Byrne joked looked like a \u201cvagina.\u201d <\/p>\n Based on her work in previous \u201cPeter Rabbit\u201d movies, she was asked to read in a scene from a new, fake entry into the series. This one saw her confronting a rabbit under the influence of drugs who shows up late one night.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t like it when you lie. Do you even care about the kids?\u201d Byrne yells at the rabbit, who appears to be staggering. \u201cHow am I supposed to stay calm when you are ruining our lives? I know you are using again.\u201d<\/p>\n The roast closed with Byrne donning a wedding dress and marrying the pudding pot. \u201cThis is marvelous,\u201d she said, after getting her gold pudding pot.<\/p>\n Afterward, Byrne told reporters the day on campus with students had been \u201cmagical\u201d and then spoke on what it\u2019s meant for \u201cIf I Had Legs I\u2019d Kick You\u201d to be recognized this awards season.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a tougher subject; it isn\u2019t a typical kind of Oscar fair, I suppose, and so it is very meaningful that the work is being recognized,\u201d she said. \u201cIt really will live on and it\u2019s very fearless and kind of radical and I\u2019m really proud of that.\u201d<\/p>\n Byrne also talked about returning to the stage in March after five years in the revival of \u201cFallen Angels\u201d on Broadway, saying she was \u201cabsolutely terrified\u201d but looking forward to starring opposite the \u201cbrilliant\u201d Kelli O\u2019Hara.<\/p>\n Friday\u2019s event comes more than a week after the Justice Department released a huge trove of records surrounding Jeffrey Epstein<\/a>, a longtime donor to the organization. The documents showed Epstein regularly donated $50,000 per year to Hasty Pudding between 2013 and 2019 to secure top-tier donor states and received special perks totaling more than $300,000.<\/p>\n In an undated news release announcing Epstein\u2019s donations, Hasty Pudding officials described Epstein as a \u201cwell-known science and Harvard philanthropist\u201d and said he \u201cput his substantial support behind Harvard\u2019s famous and oldest theatrical troupe.\u201d<\/p>\n The Pudding is the oldest theatrical organization in the nation and one of the oldest in the world. Since 1951, it has bestowed the award annually on women including actors Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Scarlett Johansson and Annette Bening. Last year, the winner was \u201cWicked\u201d star Cynthia Erivo<\/a>.<\/p>\n Byrne also acted in \u201cJuliet, Naked,\u201d \u201cGet Him to the Greek\u201d and \u201c28 Weeks Later.\u201d Her theater credits include \u201cMedea, You Can\u2019t Take it With You\u201d at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.<\/p>\n