CEO of Pascal Pictures, Pascal Pictures
PGA Awards: Amy Pascal accepts the David O. Selznick Achievement Award from Greta Gerwig
Amy Pascal is presented with the David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures from Greta Gerwig at the 37th Annual PGA Awards on Saturday, February 28, 2026.
0:00 - Greta Gerwig's speech
7:07 - Amy Pascal's speech
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The Producers Guild of America is a non-profit trade organization that represents, protects and promotes the interests of all members of the full producing team in film, television and emerging media.
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About Amy Pascal
Amy Pascal, CEO of Pascal Pictures, appeared alongside Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige in a July 2026 interview to promote the upcoming film "Spider-Man: Brand New Day." Pascal discussed the creative decision to return Peter Parker to a state of anonymity following the events of "No Way Home," stating that the move was made because it was "the right thing to do for Peter Parker" and that it would allow for a "great future for Spider-Man." She also noted that Spider-Man exists in a world of other characters, which she said provides "rich opportunities." Pascal also commented on the state of the film industry, describing 2026 as "a really great year for moviegoing." She said that people are attending theaters to see "all kinds of different movies" and expressed happiness that the business appears to be strong, countering what she described as claims that the industry was not performing well.
Transcript (16 segments)
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Greta Gerwig0:00
I want to talk to you about Amy Pascal, the legend, the genius, and my cherished friend and filmmaking partner. But I only have three minutes and I can't do her near justice in that amount of time. And also, I know that Amy wants to go home. She doesn't like dressing up or events or even restaurants. She's probably already taken out her hair extensions. She is honored, she is excited, and she also wants to leave so she can go back to work.
Going to the Oscars one year, I was in the traffic jam and waiting to get there when my stepson Ror said, 'There's a lady in a gown walking the wrong way up Highland carrying her shoes.' And as I lifted my head, I just knew it was Amy. And it was. She hated waiting in that line of cars and was thrilled to be nominated, but really wanted to get there so that she could leave and get back to what she truly loves: movies. Making movies. As we bundled her into our car, I thought, 'You are my favorite person. You are the person I dreamed I would meet when I came to Hollywood. A gorgeous, wild, genius woman.'
When I met Amy Pascal, I had never directed a film. I sat in her office with her with nothing but a burning desire to make Little Women and a very specific take on it. And at first, I was pitching her just as a writer, and at some point she said, 'Who do you think should direct it?' And I said, 'Oh, I'll be directing it. I've seen the future and that's what I'm doing.' And she didn't laugh at me and she didn't flinch. She liked the song. She simply believed in me. And I knew that it was amazing when it happened. But looking back, that was amazing. I am floored by the faith she placed in me. And I also know how many people have that same story. How many of them she backed and backed their dreams and willed the films into existence. That is why Amy is who she is.
There is nothing in this world that gives me more joy than when Amy loves something. When she loves the film, she loves it with her whole being completely. Her face lights up and she hits me affectionately and then she tucks her feet up under her like a little kid and lets the movie wash over her. I love that response. I live for that response. She always believes in the most beautiful version of the film that you're making and it makes you want to make it for her. Directing can be lonely and I'm always looking for someone to be in it with me and to care about it as deeply as I do. And she is without a doubt that person.
When we were making Little Women, she had broken her foot at the very beginning of production in a dramatic and terrible way, and her ankle was literally shattered. But she didn't leave Massachusetts. No, she got surgery there and set herself up a hospital bed in her rental house. And then she held a welcome to Little Women party for the cast and crew, which she hosted from the hospital bed with her legs suspended like Sigourney Weaver in Working Girl, but not evil. Laura Dern and Meryl Streep both laid down with her, laughing and talking. It was the best party, and she did it from her damn bed.
Later, she recovered enough to be on set, but she was in a motorized wheelchair. She rolled around the fields of Massachusetts like Doctor Strange Love. No one could stop her from being there. She said, 'I'm not going to miss this. It's my favorite book, and I'm named Amy Beth. My mom named me after the mean one and the dead one, and I'll be damned if I have to be at home.'
When we were shooting on stage, we were building ramps for her, but she couldn't wait for the ramps to be built. So, she wheeled herself at speed onto the lip of the set, thus using the momentum to turn her body into a projectile. And then, army crawled through forearm over forearm, dragging her bum leg behind her, shouting, 'This is not Christmassy enough. I am the most Jewish person ever and I even know that this is not Christmassy enough.' This is a 100% true story and it was brilliant and it was hilarious and the thing about it was she was right and that's who she is. She is all in it with you.
Here are just some of the terrific things that she said that I repeat all the time: Never let your ego get in the way of your ambition. Everyone is as great as their best movie. And in show business, you're only allowed to be angry at somebody for one year. I am blessed to call her a friend and partner. I don't know what movies would be without Amy Pascal. And I loved her before I knew her, just sitting in the audience of the worlds that she created for me. I'll let Amy have the last word of this speech, which is only fitting. She sent me this text in a mild panic about this evening, and it's better than anything I could ever write. It's a run-on sentence, by the way. Try to capture that. 'Gret, I want to remind you when you do the intro at the PGA before the reel, I want you to say something like, Amy made me be sure to mention she didn't produce all the movies in this reel, that some of these movies she had the good fortune to pay for or greenlight or something. I don't want people to think I think greenlighting a movie is the same as producing it.' Okay, enough about me.
Please welcome the 2026 recipient of the David O. Selznick Achievement Award, Amy Pascal.
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Amy Pascal7:07
Greta is my partner in crime. I love her with everything I've got. I knew how important Greta was going to be to me when I told her my favorite book was The Little Fur Family. And she said, 'Oh my god, my favorite page of that book is where the little bear watches the littler bear go down a hole.' And I gasped and said, 'Oh my god, mine, too.' I cannot tell you what it means to me that Greta is here tonight because I know better than anyone how much work she has back in New York. Being with Greta is like being in the best English lit, philosophy, art, history, theology, film lecture 24 hours a day. No one loves making movies more than Greta. Every moment of it is as electrifying as it is inspiring.
So, around this time of year, I start to think, God, this is going to fall. There are too many nights like this. All of us celebrating ourselves. Too many awards, too much hair and makeup, not enough time for work. But tonight, well, I'm kind of glad we do. Receiving the David O. Selznick Award from my peers, and by peers, I mean all of you in this room who have the audacity to think you can make something happen. That's pretty special. But let's be honest, the only thing the legendary David O. Selznick and I have in common is that we both write a lot of notes. We both love uppers, which is probably the reason for all the notes.
When I first became a producer sitting in the office I had stolen back from Seth and Evan, recently fumigated to get rid of the weed smell, I was wondering why actors and directors and writers no longer agreed with everything I said. Well, duh. I was no longer holding that metaphorical green light gun in my hand. So if you asked me 10 years ago if I thought I would be standing here, I would have given you a very different answer depending on the day, the hour of the day, my mood, how many scripts were on my desk, and the most recent phone call from Tom Rothman.
I have to thank Susan and everyone at the PGA for this profound honor. It is because of you that I get to stand beside my heroes, Saul Zaentz and Laura Ziskin. But I especially have to thank Donald and Stephanie because yes, they run the guild, but they are two people who are profoundly and personally important to me. I met Donald at UCLA. I was living at home in the same bedroom I'd been living in since I was 10. Donald was living in a tiny apartment above a garage. And as we leapfrogged across West Hollywood from apartment to apartment, our relationship deepened and then it endured over all the things that 50 years in life brings. Stephanie allowed me to tag along with her to Aunt Kizzy's backyard porch while I watched her persuade John Singleton to make Boyz n the Hood with us. She has always been a trusted colleague and she has become a genuine friend. If you guys hadn't called, I probably would have never said yes to a night like this. So, thank you for calling.
To the Columbia lady, to all my old friends at Sony, Tom and Sanford and Christine and so many more. To all of my dear friends at Netflix, there are way too many of you for me to name. And to all my new friends at Amazon, Mike and Sue, and most especially Courtney, thank you guys for making everything about tonight possible.
All my life, people have told me that relationships are bad for business. That is something that I have struggled with, and I bet I'm not the only one in this room who has. But since every single story ever told is about how one person feels about another person, and that is all any of us do and think about all day long, how is it possible that relationships cannot be at the heart of it all? And I am lucky enough to have a few people who have brought me to the place where I can stand up in front of all of you. My formidable and brilliant husband Bernie, whose wisdom and love are everything to me. My most remarkable son, Anthony, who is the love of my life and whose sheer existence is proof that the world might be a good place. My sister Jenny, witness to an insane childhood. Best friend who I couldn't live one single day without. My partner Rachel, who when Sony got hacked and nobody wanted to make eye contact with me, begged me to take her wherever I was going. I said yes and it was the smartest thing I ever did. And Brian, co-conspirator, consigliere, dearest friend, a savior to so many of us, but most certainly to me, a man whose annoying honesty, inexplicable calm, intolerance for and short text messages, show us how to set the bar for how we should all treat each other.
The way I became a producer was pretty... and then I got lucky and then it was all really hard. Anyway, being a producer is sitting in the editing room with Chris and Phil, having stayed up all night long watching every cut of our movie, thinking I have the best idea to pitch them, politely listening and doing something totally different, and me thanking God they did. Being a producer is doing Jedi mind tricks outside of a port-a-potty wearing three sets of hand warmers. Being a producer is sitting in a meeting hearing the germ of an idea and having the patience not to kill it before it even exists. Being a producer is having the self-confidence, or at least pretending you do, so that when Kevin Feige says, 'I think I can help you,' you let him. Being a producer is falling in love with a book and the author chooses Plan B or Lucky Chap or David Heyman instead of you. Being a producer is this shocking realization that you're not going to be good at everything and that some people are actually better at stuff than you. So, you better figure out what you are honestly obsessed with and fight like hell to make it happen. Being a producer is knowing there is no such thing as a great movie without a great director. And being a producer is knowing that no matter how bad things get, how many mistakes you make, how many failures you have, it's never really over. No matter what anyone tells you. Thank you for tonight.