CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Dozens of cheering fans lined the streets of Cambridge Friday to celebrate the Austrialian actress Rose Byrne, who will be honored later this evening as the 2026 Woman of the Year by Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals.
Byrne, the Golden Globe Award winner and Oscar nominee for her leading role in “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” waved to fans and blew kisses as her car made its way slowly near Harvard University campus. Byrne, who also has starred in “Bridesmaids,” “Neighbors,” “Insidious” and “Damages,” will receive her pudding pot award at a celebratory roast later in the day. She will then attend a performance of Hasty Pudding Theatricals’ 177th production “Salooney Tunes.”
In her review of “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” The Associated Press’ Jocelyn Noveck wrote that the film gave Byrne “a chance to display versatility and grit in surely the toughest dramatic role of her career.”
“I’m so excited to be in the parade and to see Rose Byrne. I loved her movie ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,’" said Jacqueline Metzger, a junior at Harvard and president of the university's short-form improv group. “It was like so anxiety inducing and the best movie I’ve seen all year. So I’m super excited, and we love her. We love Rose Byrne.”
Rachel Spurling, who is in her first year at Harvard Business School and was crowned Miss Cambridge last week, said she was thrilled to ride in the parade.
“It is so exciting to be here today,” Spurling said. "This is my first appearance as Miss Cambridge. So I’m super excited to celebrate the arts and Rose and just be able to be in this community and celebrate women as well.”
The parade included a colorful cast of characters, some in drag and bright wigs, one dressed as a cactus, and several dressed as revolutionary soldiers. It ended at Farkas Hall, where Byrne will be roasted. Before heading inside, Byrne joined members of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals players in chorus line-style dancing.
Actor Michael Keaton, known for his roles in films such as “Batman,” “Birdman,” “Beetlejuice” and “Spotlight,” is the 2026 Man of the Year. He received his pudding pot Feb. 6.
“We are thrilled to honor Rose Byrne as our Woman of the Year,” Hasty Pudding Theatricals President Daisy Nussbaum said in a statement. “Hot off a Golden Globe win and an Oscar nomination, it’s only right that she receives the most prestigious award of all: a pudding pot.”
Friday’s event comes more than a week after the Justice Department released a huge trove of records surrounding Jeffrey Epstein, a longtime donor to the organization. The documents provided new details about the amount of money Epstein had given to Hasty Pudding roughly between 2013 and 2019, regularly donating $50,000 each year to secure top-tier donor status and receiving perks of free tickets and other gifts in return, totaling more than $300,000.
The donations were made through the Jeffrey Epstein Virgin Islands Foundation and Gratitude for America, a charity affiliated with Epstein.
In an undated news release announcing Epstein’s donations, Hasty Pudding officials described Epstein as a “well-known science and Harvard philanthropist” and said he “put his substantial support behind Harvard’s famous and oldest theatrical troupe.”
The Pudding is the oldest theatrical organization in the nation and one of the oldest in the world. Since 1951, it has bestowed the award annually on women including actors Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Scarlett Johansson and Annette Bening. Last year, the winner was “Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo.
Byrne, who is Australian, also acted in “Juliet, Naked,” “Get Him to the Greek” and “28 Weeks Later.” Her theater credits include “Medea, You Can’t Take it With You” at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and she will star opposite Kelli O’Hara in the revival of “Fallen Angels” on Broadway starting in March.