Nicola Peltz Beckham made her Venice Film Festival debut on Thursday, arriving an hour late alongside veteran actress Faye Dunaway at an event during the festival's 83rd edition, ahead of being honoured with a Kineo award for rising talent.
The actress, introduced simply as "Nicola Beckham," smiled and giggled with delight as she made her entrance behind Dunaway. Sources indicated the delay was because Dunaway was not ready to appear.
Dunaway stars in Peltz Beckham's upcoming film, Prima, about a ballerina, and both women are set to receive a Kineo award the following day. Nicola will be named a "Rising Star," while Dunaway is to accept a lifetime achievement award.
Nicola Peltz Beckham praises Faye Dunaway
Wearing white trousers and a camisole, Peltz Beckham told the audience: "Thank you so much for having me here, this is such an honour. I'm so happy to be sitting here next to the one and only Faye Dunaway, the icon!"
Dunaway, who was walking with the aid of a cane, replied: "I am very happy to be here with this lady who I can see is going to have a very big career. I think she's so talented and we are going to see so much of her."
Moments later, the pair left the stage at the Italian pavilion in the Excelsior hotel, followed by a small barking dog. It was not clear whether the dog belonged to either woman.
From Deck the Halls to Bunny Films
Peltz Beckham began her acting career in 2006 in Deck the Halls alongside Danny DeVito, and posted a throwback photo from the film on her Instagram earlier this week. She went on to appear in The Last Airbender and Transformers: Age of Extinction.
More recently, she has moved into writing and producing through her own label, Bunny Films, named after her late grandmother and partly funded by her billionaire father, Nelson Peltz. Her last film, Lola, did not secure wide distribution and took in under $1,000 at the box office.
Marriage to Brooklyn Beckham
Peltz Beckham has been married since April 2022 to Brooklyn Beckham, the son of David and Victoria Beckham. She is at the centre of a reported family feud that has seen Brooklyn cut off his family in search of what he called "peace." In January, he wrote on Instagram that his family had tried to split him from his wife.
The Kineo Awards
The Kineo Awards, marking their 25th anniversary this year, described Peltz Beckham as an actress, screenwriter and producer who has "attracted growing international attention through increasingly multifaceted roles, both in front of and behind the camera."
The ceremony, held at Venice's Casa Cinema Giovani, was conceived by Rosetta Sannelli, president of the Kinéo Cultural Association, and launched in 2002. It takes place during the Venice Film Festival each year but has no direct ties to the festival itself.
Inside Prima, Nicola's ballet drama
Peltz Beckham has been working on Prima since January, though the film does not yet have an official release date. Alongside Dunaway, the cast includes Jack Huston, Mira Sorvino and Betty Gabriel. It marks the feature directing debut of brothers Luca and Alessandro Morelli, known professionally as the Morelli Brothers.
In the film, Peltz Beckham plays Margo, a dedicated prima ballerina facing life-altering decisions as modern changes disrupt her ballet company. In May, she and her family attended a private screening of the film in Los Angeles, hosted by East West Bank chief executive Dominic Ng. Afterwards, she thanked supporters, saying their backing of independent film meant "more than I can express."
A romantic night out in Venice
Peltz Beckham and Brooklyn were inseparable after arriving in Venice on Thursday evening. The couple sipped glasses of red wine and shared a public display of affection, with Brooklyn nuzzling into his wife's neck during a romantic moment out.
Peltz Beckham wore low-slung jeans, a black vest top and designer sunglasses, while Brooklyn wore a crisp white T-shirt and khaki shorts.
