Hollywood icon Kathleen Turner made a rare public appearance at the April 21 premiere of her animated film Animal Farm, turning heads and setting the record straight on how she'd like to be addressed.
The 71-year-old actress, who voices the donkey Benjamin in the film alongside Seth Rogen, Woody Harrelson, and Glenn Close, walked the red carpet with a cane, dressed in a flowing black button-down, loose black trousers, and black Crocs.
Turner, known for her roles in Body Heat and Peggy Sue Got Married, has been stepping out more frequently recently, including at the Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man premiere on March 10. At that event, she sharply corrected photographers who called her by her first name, saying, "You know what I really like, at this age? Miss Turner." The lesson stuck: at the Animal Farm premiere, photographers respectfully referred to her as Miss Turner, prompting her to joke, "You all got the message, didn’t ya?"
While she has kept busy with steady work, Turner has also battled rheumatoid arthritis, a painful autoimmune disease she was diagnosed with in 1993. In a 2023 interview with The Guardian, she described the severity of her condition: "I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t hold a glass. The only way I could go up and down stairs was on my butt, pushing myself. The pain is very bad because there’s no way to sit, lie or stand that allows you to escape it."
Despite being told she might end up in a wheelchair, advancements in medicine have improved her mobility. She has spoken about how the disease affected her Hollywood career, telling Salon in 2019, "Someone with the disease they did not understand is very frightening to them."
Turner praised her experience working on Animal Farm with director Andy Serkis, telling Digital Journal on April 22, "I enjoyed it very, very much. I mean, I’m not carrying the responsibilities that Andy is carrying. But it was great."
Her appearance serves as a reminder of her enduring presence in the entertainment industry, even as she manages her health challenges with grace and a sharp sense of humor.