Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty; Steve Granitz/FilmMagic
Jean Smartis recalling a memorable moment whenBrad Pittshared his condolences after thedeath of her husband, Richard Gilliland.
“That’s what makes himBrad Pitt,” she added.
Gilliland, an actor who met Smart when he joined the cast of the CBS sitcomDesigning Women, died on March 18, 2021, at age 71. In her acceptance speech at theEmmys that September, Smart paid tributeto her late husband. She won outstanding lead actress in a comedy series that year forHacks.
Jean Smart.Frazer Harrison/WireImage
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“Before I say anything else, I have to acknowledge my late husband Richard Gilliland, who passed away six months yesterday,” she said at the time. “I would not be here without him, without his sort of putting his career on the back burner so that I could take advantage of all the wonderful opportunities that I’ve had.”
In the press room afterward, Smart teared up when talking about her win: “It was very moving. I didn’t expect that. To have your peers' respect is huge. It’s meant a lot because it’s been such a difficult last six months, so this has been something that has been kind of a strange counterpoint, but it’s been very much appreciated.”
She added that her husband “would be very happy for me.”
SmarttoldRolling Stonein December about her husband’s sudden death, saying, “It’s shocking. You hear about it happening to other people all the time, but when it happens to you, it absolutely knocks you sideways. I find it almost harder now, a year and a half later, because you’re kind of running on adrenaline and grief for a while, making sureyour kids are okay, just getting things done.”
“Now, slowly, the reality of my new life is setting in, and I find that very, very, very, very sad, very lonely,” she added.
The 80th Golden Globe Awards ceremony is airing live on Tuesday, Jan. 10, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
source: people.com
