{"id":7112,"date":"2026-07-16T00:18:36","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T19:18:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=7112"},"modified":"2026-07-16T00:18:36","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T19:18:36","slug":"meledandri-lucas-foster-and-weaver-receive-frances-legion-of-honor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=7112","title":{"rendered":"Meledandri, Lucas, Foster and Weaver Receive France&#8217;s Legion of Honor"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tFrench President <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/t\/emmanuel-macron\/\" id=\"auto-tag_emmanuel-macron\" data-tag=\"emmanuel-macron\">Emmanuel Macron<\/a> honored five major figures in international cinema at a ceremony held at the \u00c9lys\u00e9e Palace in Paris on July 15: Illumination founder and CEO <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/t\/chris-meledandri\/\" id=\"auto-tag_chris-meledandri\" data-tag=\"chris-meledandri\">Chris Meledandri<\/a>, the producer behind the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/t\/despicable-me\/\" id=\"auto-tag_despicable-me\" data-tag=\"despicable-me\">Despicable Me<\/a>\u201d and \u201cMinions\u201d movies \u2014 the highest-grossing animated franchise of all time, with more than $5.7 billion at the global box office; \u201cStar Wars\u201d and \u201cIndiana Jones\u201d creator <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/t\/george-lucas\/\" id=\"auto-tag_george-lucas\" data-tag=\"george-lucas\">George Lucas<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/t\/jodie-foster\/\" id=\"auto-tag_jodie-foster\" data-tag=\"jodie-foster\">Jodie Foster<\/a>, the two-time Oscar winner known for \u201cTaxi Driver,\u201d The Silence of the Lambs\u201d and \u201cA Private Life;\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/t\/sigourney-weaver\/\" id=\"auto-tag_sigourney-weaver\" data-tag=\"sigourney-weaver\">Sigourney Weaver<\/a>, whose credits include \u201cAlien,\u201d \u201cAvatar\u201d and \u201cCall My Agent;\u201d and French filmmaker Claude Lelouch, the Oscar-winning director of \u201cA Man and a Woman.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tWeaver, Meledandri, Lucas and Foster were presented with the insignia of Knight of the Legion of Honor, while Lelouch received the insignia of Commander of Legion of Merit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tThe ceremony was attended by filmmaker Costa-Gavras, Canal+ Group chairman Maxime Saada, Marrakech film festival boss Melita Toscan du Plantier, Cin\u00e9polis CEO Alejandro Ram\u00edrez, Annecy Film Festival chief Michael Marin, filmmaker Rebecca Zlotowski, French visual artist JR, Prune Nourry, Illumination Studios Paris president Jacques Bled, Metropolitan FilmExport\u2019s Victor Hadida, French culture minister Catherine P\u00e9gard, and CNC president Ga\u00ebtan Bruel, among others. <\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content-image \/\/  size-large alignnone \">\n<figure class=\"o-figure  lrv-u-font-family-secondary u-color-medium-grey lrv-u-border-b-1 u-border-color-light-grey-tint-two u-margin-b-150 lrv-u-max-width-100p\" style=\"width:1024px\">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  \">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/themes\/pmc-variety-2020\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55394139177_83694fc226_k.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55394139177_83694fc226_k.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55394139177_83694fc226_k.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55394139177_83694fc226_k.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55394139177_83694fc226_k.jpg?resize=1920,1280 1920w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55394139177_83694fc226_k.jpg?resize=1360,907 1360w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55394139177_83694fc226_k.jpg?resize=1000,667 1000w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55394139177_83694fc226_k.jpg?resize=910,607 910w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55394139177_83694fc226_k.jpg?resize=681,454 681w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55394139177_83694fc226_k.jpg?resize=450,300 450w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55394139177_83694fc226_k.jpg?resize=250,167 250w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(min-width: 87.5rem) 1000px, (min-width: 78.75rem) 681px, (min-width: 48rem) 450px, (max-width: 48rem) 250px\" height=\"683\" width=\"1024\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"c-figcaption  lrv-u-flex lrv-u-flex-direction-column lrv-u-padding-t-1 lrv-u-padding-b-1\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"u-color-medium-grey u-font-family-neue-xxs\">Laurent BLEVENNEC<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tIn his tribute to Meledandri, Macron credited Meledandri with helping turn France into one of the world\u2019s leading animation hubs through his long-standing partnership with the Paris-based Mac Guff studio and the creation of Illumination Studios Paris in 2011.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cI am particularly delighted that you choose to spend several months of the year in France and that you have contributed to making our countries one of the world\u2019s great centers of animation,\u201d Macron said. \u201cThanks to your films, of course, but also because you personally supported, alongside the CNC, the creation of the international tax credit in 2009, an essential measure for the attractiveness of our country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tMacron recalled that Meledandri recognized the \u201cimmense potential\u201d of Mac Guff in 2007, when the French animation studio employed fewer than 100 people. Working with the studio\u2019s artists, filmmaker Pierre Coffin and Pharrell Williams, Meledandri developed \u201cDespicable Me,\u201d which introduced Gru and the Minions and became the foundation of Illumination\u2019s blockbuster franchise. Meledandri and Bled subsequently turned the Franco-American collaboration into a lasting partnership by establishing Illumination Studios Paris, where 16 feature films and 40 shorts have since been created.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cFilm after film, you give us a new reason to go to the cinema,\u201d Macron told Meledandri. \u201cYou also steadfastly defend the theatrical release of films in order to preserve that precious shared experience and collective joy. And I thank you for that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tIllumination\u2019s latest release, \u201cMinions &amp; Monsters,\u201d directed and co-written by a French artist, Pierre Coffin, is currently playing in theaters and had grossed over $283 million worldwide by July 15.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content-image \/\/  size-large alignnone \">\n<figure class=\"o-figure  lrv-u-font-family-secondary u-color-medium-grey lrv-u-border-b-1 u-border-color-light-grey-tint-two u-margin-b-150 lrv-u-max-width-100p\" style=\"width:1024px\">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  \">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/themes\/pmc-variety-2020\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55394139137_3f59032b1e_k.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55394139137_3f59032b1e_k.jpg 2047w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55394139137_3f59032b1e_k.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55394139137_3f59032b1e_k.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55394139137_3f59032b1e_k.jpg?resize=1920,1280 1920w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55394139137_3f59032b1e_k.jpg?resize=1360,907 1360w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55394139137_3f59032b1e_k.jpg?resize=1000,667 1000w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55394139137_3f59032b1e_k.jpg?resize=910,607 910w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55394139137_3f59032b1e_k.jpg?resize=681,454 681w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55394139137_3f59032b1e_k.jpg?resize=450,300 450w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55394139137_3f59032b1e_k.jpg?resize=250,167 250w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(min-width: 87.5rem) 1000px, (min-width: 78.75rem) 681px, (min-width: 48rem) 450px, (max-width: 48rem) 250px\" height=\"683\" width=\"1024\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"c-figcaption  lrv-u-flex lrv-u-flex-direction-column lrv-u-padding-t-1 lrv-u-padding-b-1\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"u-color-medium-grey u-font-family-neue-xxs\">Laurent BLEVENNEC<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tTurning to Lucas, Macron traced the filmmaker\u2019s journey from a teenager obsessed with cars in Modesto, California, to one of cinema\u2019s most influential storytellers, recalling how a near-fatal car accident prompted him to exchange racing for filmmaking. He praised Lucas as part of the generation of filmmakers \u2013  alongside Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese \u2014 who anchored the New Hollywood era.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tMacron described \u201cStar Wars\u201d as not merely a film but \u201can entire galaxy, a mythology\u201d in which courage could triumph over death, a young man from a forgotten planet could become a knight among the stars and the fight for democracy could be transmitted from one generation to the next.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cThanks to this film and the entire saga, you offered a new generation a territory of escape, a dream space where everything became possible again,\u201d Macron said. He praised Lucas for combining the retro and futuristic while creating a cinematic universe encompassing sound design, monumental sets and epic storytelling.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tThe French president also celebrated Lucas\u2019 influence beyond directing, calling him \u201can exceptional entrepreneur\u201d who founded Lucasfilm, THX and Industrial Light &amp; Magic. He highlighted Lucas\u2019 ties to France, including his commitment to preserving the wine-growing traditions of Provence at Ch\u00e2teau Marg\u00fci, and recalled that Coppola presented him with an honorary Palme d\u2019Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cYou have become a great Jedi Knight of cinema, and today you become a Knight of the Legion of Honor,\u201d Macron said. \u201cFor your pioneering use of technology in the service of cinema, for your visionary imagination and for this force that, for decades, has continued to inspire wonder in young and old, and for your love of France, I am extremely proud to present you today with the insignia of Chevalier de la L\u00e9gion d\u2019honneur.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content-image \/\/  size-large alignnone \">\n<figure class=\"o-figure  lrv-u-font-family-secondary u-color-medium-grey lrv-u-border-b-1 u-border-color-light-grey-tint-two u-margin-b-150 lrv-u-max-width-100p\" style=\"width:1024px\">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  \">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/themes\/pmc-variety-2020\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55395075031_c719058555_k.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55395075031_c719058555_k.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55395075031_c719058555_k.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55395075031_c719058555_k.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55395075031_c719058555_k.jpg?resize=1920,1280 1920w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55395075031_c719058555_k.jpg?resize=1360,907 1360w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55395075031_c719058555_k.jpg?resize=1000,667 1000w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55395075031_c719058555_k.jpg?resize=910,607 910w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55395075031_c719058555_k.jpg?resize=681,454 681w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55395075031_c719058555_k.jpg?resize=450,300 450w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55395075031_c719058555_k.jpg?resize=250,167 250w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(min-width: 87.5rem) 1000px, (min-width: 78.75rem) 681px, (min-width: 48rem) 450px, (max-width: 48rem) 250px\" height=\"683\" width=\"1024\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"c-figcaption  lrv-u-flex lrv-u-flex-direction-column lrv-u-padding-t-1 lrv-u-padding-b-1\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"u-color-medium-grey u-font-family-neue-xxs\">Laurent BLEVENNEC<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tMacron devoted much of his tribute to Foster\u2019s lifelong relationship with France, recalling that her mother, Evelyn, introduced her to French and European cinema, took her to Paris and bought an apartment on the \u00cele Saint-Louis. He also highlighted Foster\u2019s education at the Lyc\u00e9e Fran\u00e7ais de Los Angeles and Yale, where she studied literature and encountered Toni Morrison, as well as her early appearance at Cannes at the age of 13 with \u201cTaxi Driver.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tThe French president traced Foster\u2019s evolution from child prodigy to two-time Oscar winner and filmmaker, praising her refusal to accept conventional female roles. He pointed to \u201cThe Accused,\u201d in which she played a woman fighting to tell her story \u201cin her own words,\u201d and \u201cThe Silence of the Lambs,\u201d where Clarice Starling was \u201ca woman in a man\u2019s world, strong in a world of brutes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cAgain and again, there was your refusal of archetypes, of playing the woman or the daughter of someone else, and your choice of characters who exist in their own right, characters with strength,\u201d Macron said. He also celebrated Foster\u2019s pioneering transition behind the camera, noting that she was among the relatively few American actresses of her generation to become a director.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tMacron went on to highlight Foster\u2019s continuing ties to France, from her honorary Palme d\u2019Or at Cannes to her leading French-language role opposite Daniel Auteuil in Rebecca Zlotowski\u2019s \u201cVie priv\u00e9e\u201d which world premiered at Cannes and was released in the U.S. by Sony Pictures Classics. <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cFrance has always been like a second home to you, an intimate part of yourself and of your history,\u201d Macron said. He also recalled Foster\u2019s participation in the 80th anniversary commemorations of the Liberation of Paris and praised her battles against intrusions into private life and the pressures placed on actresses. \u201cYou have always been a free woman, as your mother showed and taught you to be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cFor 50 years, you have embodied an independent, free woman,\u201d Macron concluded, honoring Foster for \u201cthis immense talent,\u201d for having been \u201ca child prodigy, an exceptional student and an actress who, ultimately, has not so much passed through different ages as reinvented, each time, a new era for herself and for cinema,\u201d as well as for her \u201clove of our country.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content-image \/\/  size-large alignnone \">\n<figure class=\"o-figure  lrv-u-font-family-secondary u-color-medium-grey lrv-u-border-b-1 u-border-color-light-grey-tint-two u-margin-b-150 lrv-u-max-width-100p\" style=\"width:1024px\">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  \">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/themes\/pmc-variety-2020\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55394139022_3d9f06473e_k.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55394139022_3d9f06473e_k.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55394139022_3d9f06473e_k.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55394139022_3d9f06473e_k.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55394139022_3d9f06473e_k.jpg?resize=1920,1280 1920w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55394139022_3d9f06473e_k.jpg?resize=1360,907 1360w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55394139022_3d9f06473e_k.jpg?resize=1000,667 1000w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55394139022_3d9f06473e_k.jpg?resize=910,607 910w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55394139022_3d9f06473e_k.jpg?resize=681,454 681w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55394139022_3d9f06473e_k.jpg?resize=450,300 450w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55394139022_3d9f06473e_k.jpg?resize=250,167 250w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(min-width: 87.5rem) 1000px, (min-width: 78.75rem) 681px, (min-width: 48rem) 450px, (max-width: 48rem) 250px\" height=\"683\" width=\"1024\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"c-figcaption  lrv-u-flex lrv-u-flex-direction-column lrv-u-padding-t-1 lrv-u-padding-b-1\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"u-color-medium-grey u-font-family-neue-xxs\">Laurent BLEVENNEC<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tMacron hailed Weaver as a trailblazer who transformed the place of women in blockbuster filmmaking, recalling that when she was cast as Ripley in Ridley Scott\u2019s \u201cAlien,\u201d \u201cno one imagined that the last person to survive could be a woman,\u201d much less Weaver, who was then unknown to the wider public.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cWith \u2018Alien,\u2019 you therefore confronted the creature that devours the passengers of the Nostromo one by one, but also another no less formidable adversary: the constraints and prejudices of the time,\u201d Macron said. \u201cA heroine of courage, you also paved the way for so many other great female figures: Lara Croft, Katniss Everdeen, Imperator Furiosa and many others.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tThe French president stressed that Weaver\u2019s greatest strength may have been her refusal to remain confined to the role of an action heroine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cYou managed to remain part of the great franchises that made you famous while asserting yourself as a complete actress and, ultimately, an unclassifiable one,\u201d Macron said. \u201cYou change register and role at will.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tHe cited Weaver\u2019s ability to move between comedy, drama and spectacle \u2014 from \u201cWorking Girl\u201d and \u201cGhostbusters\u201d to \u201cGorillas in the Mist,\u201d \u201cThe Ice Storm,\u201d \u201cMaster Gardener\u201d and \u201cAvatar,\u201d while always searching for \u201cthe truth\u201d of her characters and never taking \u201cthe easy way out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tCalling France Weaver\u2019s \u201cadopted country,\u201d Macron recalled that she lived for two years in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, speaks French, has filmed in the country \u2013  including a memorable episode of \u201cCall My Agent\u201d \u2014 and loves both French cinema and France\u2019s \u201cspirit of independence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tPrevious Hollywood filmmakers, actors and artists who have received the Legion of Honors during Macron\u2019s mandate include Tom Cruise, Denis Villeneuve and Pharrell Williams, among others. Past recipients include Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Clint Eastwood. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>French President Emmanuel Macron honored five major figures in international cinema at a ceremony held at the \u00c9lys\u00e9e Palace in Paris on July 15: Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri, the producer behind the \u201cDespicable Me\u201d and \u201cMinions\u201d movies \u2014 the highest-grossing animated franchise of all time, with more than $5.7 billion at the global&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7113,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/55395470350_393c4cbb3b_k.jpg?w=1000&h=563&crop=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7112"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7112\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}