Natasha Lyonne has all the time been an artist who marches to the beat of her personal drum. First rising as a teen star in movies like “However I’m a Cheerleader,” she has developed into one in every of Hollywood’s prime hyphenates after co-creating and main the Netflix time loop comedy “Russian Doll” and the Peacock thriller collection “Poker Face.” Her gravelly, unapologetically mental persona has turn into really iconic, and she or he continues to show her capability to use it to a number of genres.
That distinctive versatility earned her the Maverick Award on the 2025 IndieWire Honors. Whereas she was unable to attend the ceremony in individual, Fred Armisen accepted the award on her behalf.
“Natasha couldn’t be right here tonight, however she actually needs she have been right here,” Armisen mentioned. “However on behalf of Natasha, she mentioned thanks all a lot and she or he loves you all.”
However whereas Lyonne wasn’t available to deal with the viewers in individual, she lately spoke to IndieWire editor-in-chief Dana Harris-Bridson about her present slate of tasks, which incorporates “Poker Face” and her upcoming function directorial debut “Uncanny Valley.” Unsurprisingly, she summarized the distinctive area of interest that she occupies in Hollywood completely. She emphasised the function that she performed in creating the function of her detective character Charlie Cale, which was impressed by her personal love of movie noir and John Cassavetes films.
“On the threat of sounding pedantic, I do assume it’s vital to say that — because it so usually appears with girls — somebody assumes a personality was created for them,” she mentioned. “Let’s be actually clear: That by no means occurred. This character exists as a result of, like every good old school entrepreneur, I noticed a void.”
“In trendy occasions, there have been no girls operating round like Philip Marlowe on our screens. Certainly, that was a gap I might fill,” she continued. “I knew no one was casting me as a ‘Curler Lady’ sort, you understand what I imply? That’s Heather Graham’s half, and Meryl Streep had her part. Effectively, I discovered mine within the basements of YMCAs and Murray Hill in Manhattan, the place I’d watch a whole lot of noir movies alone in the midst of the day after I dropped out of Tisch.”
The IndieWire Honors occasion happened at NeueHouse in Hollywood on Thursday, June 5 as hosted by comic and “Hacks” breakout star Robby Hoffman. Different honorees for the night included Ben Stiller, Colin Farrell, Ramy Youssef, Julianne Nicholson, Kathy Bates, and extra.