*Queen Latifah and Leslie Odom Jr. received their honors at the Princess Grace Awards gala in New York City on Monday night.
Naomi Campbell hosted the event, which presented Princess Grace Awards to 21 emerging artists. The supermodel also presented Latifah with her honor, saying of her co-star in the upcoming Lee Daniels Fox series “Star”: “She’s the most versatile artist: producer, actor, singer, rapper, and she’s got the biggest heart. I absolutely love her,” notes The Hollywood Reporter.
Decked in Christian Siriano, Latifah thanked her mother, a high school art teacher: “I watched her develop their self-esteem, experience and their zest for life. Just the idea, that if they dream big they can go for it, was something they learned in her art class.” She also thanked the evening’s generous donors: “That coin tonight — good job!
Hamilton Tony winner Odom Jr., who was also a 2002 award recipient, told THR: “I got into the business during the lean years and the times when the business is toughest, and you have to figure out why you’re in this and what you’re doing it for: fame or money, and I got in it for connection.”
On the eve of his Los Angeles relocation with his expectant wife, actress Nicolette Robinson (Showtime’s “The Affair”), he told the Cipriani Broadway ballroom, “I can’t help but feel I’m at the start of Act II in my life. … God only knows what I’m gonna do, but I’m gonna spend the next 15 years trying to make you proud.”
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
