Helen Mirren receives Legend of Entertainment Award at SCAD Savannah Film Festival

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - The SCAD Savannah Film Festival is underway. The festival is the largest university-run festival in the nation and brings in stars from across the world.

Dame Helen Mirren walked the red carpet Saturday. Mirren is known for her Oscar-winning performance as Queen Elizabeth in the 2006 movie “The Queen.”

Mirren received the 2026 Legend of Entertainment Award Saturday. She said the first thing she thought of when she received news of the honor was her love of Savannah.

“Oh, great I get to go to Savannah. Because it’s a city that I love, and I haven’t been here for such a long time. I came I think in the late 80s, I’ve only been here once before, and I loved it,” Mirren said.

Mirren on Savannah connections and advice for young people

Mirren said she knows Stratton Leopold, owner of Leopold’s Ice Cream. Mirren spotted the shop for the first time while speaking with WTOC. She said she wanted to stop in for ice cream.

Mirren shared advice with SCAD students and other young creatives. She said success is about more than just talent.

“A lot of it is luck, a lot of it is also is the way you approach work and the way you approach people you collaborate with,” Mirren said.

She said she is cautious about the phrase “follow your dream.”

“I am very worried about ‘follow your dream,’ that worries me because of course it’s great to dream, but sometimes it is just that, it is just a dream. And I’ve seen people throw their lives away trying to pursue this fantasy world that they think they, you know, want to be a part of, and really it’s a fantasy,” Mirren said.

“I do believe in working hard,” Mirren said.

Mirren encouraged the next generation of entertainment talent to forge their own path if success does not come easily.

“Young people make their own work, of they can’t get a job, no one gives them a job they make a job for themselves. And I wish someone had said to me when I was young, I didn’t need it particularly, but create your own work, make your own theater company, write your own play,” Mirren said.

The festival runs until Saturday, Oct. 31.