Sigourney Weaver took center stage on the opening night of the 2024 Venice Film Festival.

Before the world premiere of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” the iconic star of films such as “Alien,” “Avatar” and “Gorillas in the Mist” was awarded the Golden Lion for lifetime achievement in honor of her 45 years of work.

"I'm sure I'm dreaming," she said upon accepting the award. "Thank you for this encouragement." She later said that her Golden Lion was "the most amazing honor I could imagine," adding that the statue "will be sitting next to me on the plane, it will be the next one in the gondola and my husband will have to get used to it being in our bed."

Before she accepted the award, there was a surprise video message from Weaver's "Avatar" director James Cameron, who noted that she "should have been tall enough for that Oscar." Meanwhile, French actress Camille Cottin — with whom Weaver guest-starred on the hit series "Call My Agent!" — gave a speech in which she described the star as "just a woman who doesn't give a fuck about the male gaze."