Ron Howard honored at Cannes Film Festival by Lily Gladstone at Variety awards

Lily Gladstone’s inner monologue sounds a lot like Ron Howard.

While presenting the director with the Profile in Excellence Award from Variety at the Cannes Film Festival, the “Killers of the Flower Moon,” star told him, “I want you to narrate my life. Sometimes I actually do hear your voice during my life when something is particularly ‘Arrested Development-y.’”

Howard executive produced and narrated the hit comedy series.

Lily Gladstone presented Ron Howard with the Profile in Excellence Award at Variety’s Cannes Film Festival event. Variety via Getty Images

Gladstone also told Howard that his hit 1988 movie, “Willow,” “taught me to love film and gave me my first hero that I worshiped that I was convinced was Native American, Madmartigan.” She pointed out that a character’s name in the show “Reservation Dogs,” Elora Danan, comes from a character in the film.

In turn, Howard gave tribute to his own heroes and mentors, including directors George Lucas, who was a producer on “Willow” and famed B-movie filmmaker Roger Corman.

Lucas cast Howard, who had previously starred as Opie on “The Andy Griffith Show,” in the 1973 movie “American Graffiti.”

Gladstone said she loved Howard’s 1988 fantasy film “Willow,” which premiered at Cannes. ©MGM/Courtesy Everett Collection

Gladstone says she was a huge fan of Howard’s show, “Arrested Development.” Variety via Getty Images

“George Lucas really did change my life,” Howard said. “It helped me grow from a child performer who had a good career, but was growing out of himself. I suddenly became known as a successful young actor on the global film stage.”

The role also helped Howard land his famous part of Richie Cunningham on “Happy Days,” before her went on to direct movies and create his company with Brian Grazer, Imagine Entertainment.

“George recognized and supported my ambition to be a filmmaker,” Howard continued. “At that time the idea of somebody graduating from American TV sitcoms into becoming a filmmaker, that was pretty ludicrous. Nobody had ever really done anything like that, people didn’t take the notion seriously, but George did even then and it made a great deal to me.”

Howard paid tribute to director George Lucas. Getty Images

Howard also gave a nod to Roger Corman, who just passed away. AFP via Getty Images

Lucas is being honored with a Palm D’Or to close out Cannes.

Howard also paid tribute to Corman — who passed away on May 9 at 98 — who produced his directorial debut, 1977’s “Grand Theft Auto.”

Also taking the stage at the bash was Variety’s Ramin Setoodeh.