Skip to Content
Instagram
X
Spotify
LinkedIn
RSS Feed
Saturday, July 26, 2025
The student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901

The Wellesley News

  • More
    • News & Investigation
      • Senate Report
      • News in Brief
    • Features
    • Opinions
      • Letters to the Editor
      • Staff Editorial
    • The Wellesley Snooze
    • Arts & Culture
    • Sports
    • Podcast
    • About
      • Staff
      • Join the staff
      • Advertise
      • Anonymous News Tip
  • May 1Congratulations, Class of 2025!
  • April 24Breaking: Non-tenured track faculty union ends strike but yet to reach an agreement
The Wellesley News
  • News & Investigation
    • Senate Report
    • News in Brief
  • Features
  • Opinions
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Staff Editorial
  • The Wellesley Snooze
  • Arts & Culture
  • Sports
  • Podcast
  • About
    • Staff
    • Join the staff
    • Advertise
    • Anonymous News Tip
  • More
    The student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901

    The Wellesley News

    The Wellesley News
    • News & Investigation
      • Senate Report
      • News in Brief
    • Features
    • Opinions
      • Letters to the Editor
      • Staff Editorial
    • The Wellesley Snooze
    • Arts & Culture
    • Sports
    • Podcast
    • About
      • Staff
      • Join the staff
      • Advertise
      • Anonymous News Tip
    • More
      The student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901

      The Wellesley News

      Annette Bening is Hasty Pudding’s Woman of the Year

      Julia Koziatek | February 21, 2024
      Annette Bening is Hasty Pudding’s Woman of the Year

      On Feb. 6, Oscar-nominated actress Annette Bening graced the Boston area with her presence to accept her award as the 74th Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year. Bening, who got her start in theater, called her day in Cambridge “the day of a lifetime” before jokingly adding that of all the honors she’s received, “this one is the least.” Hasty Pudding Theatricals is a student theatrical society at Harvard University, known for its Man and Woman of the Year awards, and being the oldest theater organization in the United States.  .

      The evening started with a performance from the Hasty Pudding troupe in honor of Bening, who came onstage donning a pinstripe suit. The performance was lighthearted, with the cast playfully roasting Bening — making a notable dig at the age-gap between her and her husband, Warren Beatty. Bening was also tasked with completing several activities onstage such as giving a cast member her signature short haircut, paying homage to some of her past projects (such as “American Beauty” and “The Seagull”) and fighting with her “doppleganger” to win an “Oscar.”

      The performance ended with Bening being awarded an “Oscar” and the coveted, prestigious golden Hasty Pudding pot. In her acceptance speech, Bening thanked no one — stating, “I did it all myself with no one’s help.”

      In line with the spirit of Bening’s new film, “NYAD,” she noted that “a strong woman is a flawed woman, a woman with vulnerabilities,” and that “there isn’t a point at which a woman stops evolving.”

      Bening isn’t the first member of her family to snag a pudding Pot – her sister-in-law, Shirley MacLaine, won back in 1963 after her performance in the Robert Wise film “Two for the Seesaw.” Her husband Warren Beatty won HP Man of the Year in 1975. 

      Bening also extended some (serious) advice to her younger self, encouraging young people in the film industry today, to “stay true to what inspires you — maintain a certain amount of privacy… keep something of yourself to yourself, and the people that you love and the people that you trust.” 

      Going forward, Bening plans to keep pushing herself — and not just with the athletic challenges she undertook with creating “NYAD.” She also reflected on her experiences at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco after attending community college, expressing her enduring passion for theater and thanks to her ACT instructors. “So much of acting is just receiving,” she said, “taking in what is happening.”

      View Story Comments
      0
      Like This Story
      Share on Facebook
      Share on X
      Email this Story
      Print this Story
      More to Discover
      More in Arts & Culture
      Alt-Pop artist Emei stops in Boston for “RABBITHOLE” tour
      Photo courtesy of Wellesley College.
      Professor Daniela Rivera recognized as inaugural Wagner Arts Fellow
      Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
      Summer music recommendations for every type of Wellesley student
      More in Arts In The News
      Photo credit: Micah Fong
      “HARK!” from page to stage
      Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
      Your favorite “Stranger Things” actor is going on tour
      Photo credit: Wikimedia commons
      "The White Lotus" season 3 is testing our attention spans
      More in Press Pass
      Boston band Cut The Kids In Half releases debut album
      Boston band Cut The Kids In Half releases debut album
      Photo credit: Anabelle Meyers
      To Hell and back again - Harvard's HPT's return to form
      Photo credit: Lucia Chen
      Illuminating nature: Wellesley Botanical Garden brings "Plants in Motion" to life
      Related Image
      • News & Investigation
        • Senate Report
        • News in Brief
      • Features
      • Opinions
        • Letters to the Editor
        • Staff Editorial
      • The Wellesley Snooze
      • Arts & Culture
      • Sports
      • Podcast
      • About
        • Staff
        • Join the staff
        • Advertise
        • Anonymous News Tip
      • Home
      • Staff
      • About
      Instagram
      X
      Spotify
      LinkedIn
      RSS Feed
      © 2025 • FLEX Pro WordPress Theme by SNO • Log in

      Comments (0)

      All SNO Wellesley College Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

      Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Email address verification required
      We will send you an email with a verification link after you submit your comment. You must click that link or your comment will be discarded. Your email address will not be publicly displayed.