Fred Armisen Accepts Natasha Lyonne’s IndieWire Honor

Natasha Lyonne has always been an artist who marches to the beat of her own drum. First emerging as a teen star in films like “But I’m a Cheerleader,” she has developed into one of Hollywood’s top hyphenates after co-creating and leading the Netflix time loop comedy “Russian Doll” and the Peacock mystery series “Poker Face.” Her gravelly, unapologetically intellectual persona has become truly iconic, and she continues to prove her ability to apply it to multiple genres.

That unique versatility earned her the Maverick Award at the 2025 IndieWire Honors. While she was unable to attend the ceremony in person, Fred Armisen accepted the award on her behalf.

“Natasha couldn’t be here tonight, but she really wishes she were here,” Armisen said. “But on behalf of Natasha, she said thank you all so much and she loves you all.”

But while Lyonne wasn’t on hand to address the audience in person, she recently spoke to IndieWire editor-in-chief Dana Harris-Bridson about her current slate of projects, which includes “Poker Face” and her upcoming feature directorial debut “Uncanny Valley.” Unsurprisingly, she summarized the unique niche that she occupies in Hollywood perfectly. She emphasized the role that she played in creating the role of her detective character Charlie Cale, which was inspired by her own love of film noir and John Cassavetes movies.

“At the risk of sounding pedantic, I do think it’s important to mention that — as it so often seems with women — someone assumes a character was created for them,” she said. “Let’s be really clear: That never occurred. This character exists because, like any good old-fashioned entrepreneur, I saw a void.”

“In modern times, there were no women running around like Philip Marlowe on our screens. Surely, that was a hole I could fill,” she continued. “I knew nobody was casting me as a ‘Roller Girl’ type, you know what I mean? That’s Heather Graham’s part, and Meryl Streep had her section. Well, I found mine in the basements of YMCAs and Murray Hill in Manhattan, where I would watch a lot of noir films alone in the middle of the day after I dropped out of Tisch.”

The IndieWire Honors event took place at NeueHouse in Hollywood on Thursday, June 5 as hosted by comedian and “Hacks” breakout star Robby Hoffman. Other honorees for the evening included Ben Stiller, Colin Farrell, Ramy Youssef, Julianne Nicholson, Kathy Bates, and more.