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  • 9 hours ago
British comedy legend Jennifer Saunders isn’t shy about being honoured with the title of ‘Icon’ and intends to bathe in the adulation. She was bestowed with the title at the Newport Beach Film Festival UK & IE Honours in London at Raffles at the OWO.

The BAFTA-winner is known for her various TV and film roles but called her performance in Shrek 2 one of the hardest tasks of her career why she refuses to sing “Holding Out For a Hero” again.

She stars in the upcoming film The Magic Faraway Tree which is released on 27th March 2026. Report by Burtonj. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Transcript
00:00Oh, I'm just going to take a drink. You probably don't want that on.
00:03Iconic an award, iconic, just pure interview desiccats.
00:06There you go.
00:07Hey, we are receiving the Icon Award tonight.
00:09Yes.
00:10How does that sit with you?
00:11It sits very well as well as long overdue.
00:15I feel that I shall...
00:18You know when people talk about forest bathing?
00:20They're literally walking into a wood.
00:21I shall be iconic bathing.
00:23I shall be bathing in this award.
00:25As you should.
00:26I shall be going out figuring out what it's like.
00:28I shall watch people's reactions to me when they come along.
00:31See if it's changed.
00:32Because I won't change.
00:34Never do, please.
00:35I will just be an icon.
00:36You must have a lot of people come up to you, like fans come up to you.
00:40And do you get a sense when someone walks up to you
00:42what they're about to reference as a project of yours?
00:44Based on, let's say, age or how they seem and stuff.
00:48Yes, judging by age.
00:50Okay, what do you think my thing to you is about to be?
00:55Is it, are there lots of young people now watching ABFAB?
00:58I don't know.
00:59I just want to say to you that I reckon, and this is not me exaggerating,
01:03I think Shrek 2 might have changed the course of my life.
01:06Because I Need a Hero is so, holding out for a hero,
01:10is so fantastically performed.
01:12And it, like, that whole sequence gives me goosebumps.
01:15I watched it the other day at Christmas,
01:16and it's so phenomenally played by you.
01:18So thank you for that, bringing that into the world.
01:19So good.
01:20Oh, thank you for that.
01:22Because I had to work, it's one of the times I had to,
01:25I even recognised myself,
01:26that I had to work very hard to sing that song.
01:29So, yes, thank you for that.
01:30What was all the prep that went into?
01:32Learning to sing.
01:35Learning to hit the notes.
01:36Learning when to stop and let the music happen.
01:39Learning to count.
01:40Everything.
01:41Everything.
01:42I don't know what awards there are out there for, like, voiceover roles,
01:45but, like, that is one that, like, just sticks with me
01:47into the, like, all-time...
01:48Oh, there's nothing better than doing voiceovers like that.
01:50It's just the best fun.
01:52Because you get to do all the fun stuff
01:54without having to, like, put your make-up on, do the thing.
01:58It's like, it's such fun doing voiceovers.
02:01Have you ever dared sing Pulling Out for a Hero at karaoke since then?
02:06Because it is, I would say, synonymous with you at this point.
02:09I think someone once asked me if I'd sing it
02:12and I absolutely refused
02:13because it was just too much.
02:15It was really, it's moment in time.
02:18It was the moment in time when I could sing.
02:22We are at this event tonight.
02:24You are, I will say, the guest of honour.
02:26Do you know who else is in the room tonight?
02:28Do you know who else we might be looking out for?
02:29Seeing Tim Spall, legend.
02:33I think Shirley Henderson, legend.
02:37I think there's a great mixture of ages.
02:40And what they're doing is they're,
02:41it's like young actors of note, up-and-coming,
02:44people to watch, which is very exciting, you know.
02:46I'm sure everyone is going to probably ask you for this
02:48and you might have been asked it already.
02:50What is your, like, advice to people who come up to you
02:52wanting career advice and stuff?
02:53You can't give it.
02:54You can't give it.
02:55Never.
02:55I have no idea what to say to people
02:57because the world is so different now
02:59from when we were young.
03:01And the only thing I would ever say is
03:03just do it, just do it, just keep doing it.
03:05Try it out, fail.
03:07You know, how do I write?
03:08I don't know, just write.
03:09How do I do comedy?
03:11Just do comedy.
03:12There is no, there's no formula.
03:15If there's a formula, everyone will be doing it, you know.
03:18Can I take you back?
03:19But don't do it if you're not funny.
03:21That's what I was...
03:22Get funny, then, is the advisor.
03:24Get funny, get funny.
03:25What was the, who was the person in your life
03:28or what was the performance that made you want to set yourself on this path as well?
03:32Who inspired you when you were competing with you?
03:33Oh, just Dawn.
03:33I mean, Dawn French because we were literally having so much fun doing silly sketches.
03:39We just kept it going and saw how long it would last
03:42and it's lasted to hear, so...
03:44And it's so wonderful to see you guys podcasting now as well,
03:46keeping up with, like, you know, the next iteration of entertainment, I guess.
03:48The old podcast or radio show, as I like to call it.
03:53But there we go.
03:53Extended radio show.
03:54That's all they are.
03:55Extended radio show.
03:56Congratulations again.
03:57Thank you so much for your time.
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