Lily Tomlin made a big mark in Hollywood. She’s being recognized for it in an awesome way.
At 76 years old, Lily Tomlin has proven herself to be an acting and comedic badass who's been making audiences laugh — and cry — for decades.
She can play a clever, street-wise, independent woman as easily as she can play a vulnerable ex-wife who's just had her life turned upside down.
Image by Jerod Harris/Getty Images.
The comedy icon has been bestowed with a lot of awards throughout the years, but now she's adding one more. It's a pretty big one: The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) is giving her the Lifetime Achievement Award in January 2017.
Here are eight reasons why Lily Tomlin totally deserves this latest recognition:
1. Her first film role earned her two award nominations, and she's been winning awards and nominations ever since.
Tomlin was nominated for both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe in 1975 for her performance as the mom of two deaf children who has an affair — Robert Altman's "Nashville."
GIF from "Nashville."
The year prior, she had won her first Emmy for her comedy special simply titled "Lily." She would later go on to win two Tonys, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, a Kennedy Center Honor, and two Peabody Awards, among many others.
One of her latest accolades is a 2015 Golden Globe nomination for the titular character in "Grandma."
2. She refuses to let ageism in Hollywood get in her way.
Any comedian will tell you it's not always easy making people laugh. Female comedians will probably tell you it's even harder. And if you're an older female comedian? Sometimes it's like Hollywood doesn't even know what to do with you.
But Lily Tomlin is just that good. She's managed to keep us laughing and tuning in to her career for almost 50 years, no matter what Hollywood producers say about women.
Lily Tomlin in 1981 at the premiere of "Nine to Five." Photo by Keystone Features/Getty Images.
3. She's not afraid to play strong female characters, even if they might make us feel uncomfortable.
From her antics as a cold-as-a-cucumber secretary in 1980's "Nine to Five" to her latest bad-grandma role in the 2015 movie "Grandma," she's OK playing an unlikable character, as long as the story is worth telling.
GIF from "Grandma."
4. She cares about the work she does. To her, it's not just about being famous.
Lily has carved an impressive career out of bringing all types of characters to life. While they're not all necessarily likable, she has a way of making them feel human, like they're real people. From her nosy and all-too-familiar character Ernestine to playing hilariously outspoken 5-year-old Edith Ann (complete with the oversized outfit), she always makes each role memorable.
Lily Tomlin playing Edith Ann on "The Lilly Tomlin Show." Photo by ABC Television/Wikimedia Commons.
5. She's multitalented beyond her acting abilities, with many writing and producing credits to her name.
Since winning her first Emmy in 1974, she has starred in five more comedy specials she wrote and produced alongside her wife and longtime producing partner, Jane Wagner.
It's one thing to have the presence and charisma to hold an audience, but it's entirely another to have the talent and wit to write and produce the show as well. Lily and Jane seem to have found a winning formula and stuck to it — on and off the stage.
Jane Wagner and Lily Tomlin in 2001. Photo by Henry Ray Abrams/Getty Images.
6. She's an incredibly generous humanitarian who cares deeply about the LGBTQ community and animal rights.
Lily is known for her big heart. She works extensively to support the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). Lily herself is a proud member of the LGBTQ community, although she says she never felt the need to hold a press conference to either confirm or deny her sexual orientation. She and Jane have been together since 1971 and got married in 2013.
She also lends her time to animal causes, like this ad she did for PETA in April 2016 in which she reprised the role of Ernestine, one of her classic comedy characters.
Image via PETA/YouTube.
7. She says what's on her mind, especially when she sees injustice in the world.
In an interview with The Wrap, Tomlin told the story of a fancy dinner she attended where she was seated next to a wealthy architect. She was so frustrated by him that at one point she turned to him and asked: "Don’t you think we should try just a little bit harder to make the world a little bit better for just a few more people?”
Disappointingly, his answer was a simple "No."
Same. Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images.
8. She was the voice of Ms. Frizzle on "The Magic School Bus."
'Nuff said.
GIF from "The Magic School Bus."
Women as multifaceted as Lily Tomlin are a rare breed in Hollywood, and they should be celebrated more.
"She has an ability to create diverse and distinct characters that are at once familiar, eccentric, and oh so honest — in a way that illuminates life’s hidden corners," SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris said.
Cheers to SAG and to Tomlin for this awesome recognition of a woman who has managed to dance to the beat of her own drum while carving out a meaningful and impressive career along the way.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."