Filmmaker Nancy Meyers has published an emotional farewell for her “friend of almost 40 years” Diane Keaton following the actor’s death on Saturday, aged 79.
Keaton and Meyers collaborated on many films, first working together on Baby Boom in 1987, followed by Father of the Bride in 1991, and Something’s Gotta Give in 2003, the last earning Keaton an Oscar nomination.
In a post on social media, Meyers described the actor as “a giant” who “changed my life”.
“These past 48 hours have not been easy. Seeing all of your tributes to Diane has been a comfort. As a movie lover, I’m with you all – we have lost a giant. A brilliant actress who time and again laid herself bare to tell our stories. As a woman, I lost a friend of almost 40 years – at times over those years, she felt like a sister because we shared so many truly memorable experiences. As a filmmaker, I’ve lost a connection with an actress that one can only dream of,” Meyers wrote on Instagram.
“We all search for that someone who really gets us, right? Well, with Diane, I believe we mutually had that. I always felt she really got me so writing for her made me better because I felt so secure in her hands. I knew how vulnerable she could be. And I knew how hilarious she could be, not only with dialogue (which she said word for word as written but managed to always make it sound improvised) but she could be funny sitting at a dinner table or just walking into a room.”
Meyers continued, describing Keaton’s range and dedication when it came to working with any director. Keaton rose to fame in the 1970s, starring in Francis Ford Coppola’s mafia epic The Godfather, and went on to have a decades-long collaboration with Woody Allen, making eight films with him, including Annie Hall, which got her an Academy Award in 1978.
“But the truth is – Diane didn’t just ‘get me.’ I’ve watched all of her groundbreaking spectacular work with Woody Allen a million times and I watch her performance in Warren Beatty’s REDS with awe. Diane did exactly the same for them because that is what she does. She goes deep. And I know those who have worked with her know what I know… she made everything better. Every set up, every day, in every movie, I watched her give it her all,” Meyers said.
“When I needed her to cry in scene after scene in Something’s Gotta Give she went at it hard and then somehow made it funny. And I remember she would sometimes spin in a kind of goofy circle before a take to purposely get herself off balance or whatever she needed to shed so she could be in the moment.
“She was fearless, she was like nobody ever, she was born to be a movie star, her laugh could make your day and for me, knowing her and working with her – changed my life. Thank you Di. I’ll miss you forever.”
Keaton had not made any public appearances for some time, but her death was still unexpected as there had been no prior reports of her being sick.
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Friends told People magazine that Keaton’s health had “declined very suddenly” in her final months. Her family “chose to keep things very private” and even some of her longtime friends “weren’t fully aware of what was happening”, one friend told the outlet.
On Monday, Allen paid Keaton tribute, writing that she was “unlike anyone the planet has experienced”.
Allen complimented Keaton for having a “huge talent for comedies and drama”, noting that she could also “dance and sing with feeling”.
He also said that she “wrote books, did photography, made collages, decorated homes, and directed films.”
“Finally, she was a million laughs to be around.”
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