There was all the expected glamour at the 4th annual Reel Stories, Real Lives event, benefiting the Motion Picture & Television Fund. Like every Hollywood soirée, well-heeled A-listers mingled and dispensed buzzy quotes about their latest projects—but talk quickly turned to the real reason everyone had packed MILK Studios on Saturday night.
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“If you’re a member of the film community, it’s nice to be reminded of what the word ‘community’ means and what it can stand for,” Lizzy Caplan told InStyle, referring to the fund’s mission of helping disenfranchised entertainment industry members find homes, enroll in healthcare programs, and retire with stability. “Taking care of each other is a huge part of that.”
Of course, the actress, who arrived in a sleeveless green Houghton dress, wasn’t the only supporter of the cause. Kevin Spacey, who wore a dapper Burberry suit, was honored for his efforts to help fellow actors. “I got involved because of my mother. She told me about the Motion Picture and Television Home when I was 13 years old,” he said of the retirement community open to all fund members, with fees based on individuals’ ability to pay. “It’s an extraordinary facility and we don’t do really well with our elderly in America. This is an example of how we can do better…. The one thing [the elderly] fear the most is being forgotten,” he added. “And that’s my mission: to make sure they’re not forgotten.”
While the fund’s focus is a serious matter, celebrities didn’t leave their sense of humor at the door. “My buddy, Connie Sawyer, lives there and I go and visit her. It’s a little selfish because I’m picking out my cottage,” joked Yvette Nicole Brown of her 102-year-old film-star friend. “That’s where I’m going to be when I retire. So, I’m staking out, figuring do I want to be near the big topiary or the garden shed? I’m trying to figure it all out.”
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– With reporting by Carita Rizzo