Eight-time Oscar nominee Glenn Close has long been a force in Hollywood, captivating audiences with her powerful performances and uncanny ability to inhabit complex characters. Now, as of October 2025, her legacy is being celebrated on multiple fronts: she has emerged as the leading choice to receive the American Film Institute’s (AFI) 51st Life Achievement Award in 2026, and a major new museum exhibition is shining a spotlight on her storied career through the costumes that helped define her most iconic roles.
According to a Gold Derby poll reported on October 6, 2025, Close secured 23.2 percent of the vote, outpacing fellow film legends Anthony Hopkins (14.5 percent) and Brad Pitt (13 percent) for the coveted AFI honor. This annual award, established in 1973, is one of Hollywood’s highest accolades, reserved for individuals whose screen careers have significantly contributed to American culture and the advancement of film as an art form. Past recipients read like a who’s who of cinematic history, from John Ford and Bette Davis to recent honorees Nicole Kidman (2024) and Francis Ford Coppola (2025). The AFI’s own description of the award underscores its gravitas: it is given to a “recipient whose talent has in a fundamental way advanced the film art; whose accomplishment has been acknowledged by scholars, critics, professional peers and the general public; and whose work has stood the test of time.”
Close’s body of work certainly fits the bill. Her performances have not only garnered critical acclaim but have also left an indelible mark on pop culture. Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than in her unforgettable turn as Alex Forrest in the 1987 thriller Fatal Attraction. The role—equal parts chilling and tragic—gave rise to the now-infamous “bunny boiler” stereotype, a cultural shorthand that continues to reverberate nearly four decades later.
The ongoing impact of Close’s portrayal is the subject of a new book by Edinburgh-based author Caroline Young, titled Single And Psycho: How Pop Culture Created The Unstable Single Woman. As reported by The Sunday Post on October 6, 2025, Young’s book delves into how films like Fatal Attraction and other media have shaped society’s views of single women, often casting them as unstable or incomplete. Young, who weaves her own personal struggles—including abusive relationships, miscarriages, and the pressures of approaching motherhood in her 40s—into her analysis, argues that the “bunny boiler” label has long been used to shame women into conforming to societal expectations. “I believe the phrase ‘bunny boiler’ has been hanging over women and held against them to make them conform,” Young told The Sunday Post. “It ties in with the idea of gaslighting, when women are made to feel like they are crazy when the opposite is true.”
Young’s exploration doesn’t stop at Fatal Attraction. She draws connections to a host of other films and cultural phenomena, from Single White Female to Bridget Jones’s Diary, tracing how the depiction of single women has evolved alongside the feminist movement. “Many of these movies and cultural moments were the backdrop to my life, influencing and shaping my decisions as I found my own experiences reflecting and reflected within them,” she explained. Young’s candid reflections on her own heartbreaks and the stigma of being a single woman seeking love add a deeply personal dimension to her cultural critique. “Despite her dangerous, and cringy, deeds, Alex is a woman I have a degree of empathy with, stemming from my own experiences,” she writes in her book. The message she internalized—that a single, childless woman of a certain age might as well count herself out—was, in her words, “one that had burrowed deep into my psyche.”
Yet, Young also notes a shift in recent years. The rise of the #MeToo movement and the increasing number of women behind the camera have ushered in more nuanced and sympathetic portrayals. Today’s pop culture, she argues, is more willing to acknowledge the mental health struggles and societal pressures that shape women’s lives. Citing shows like Baby Reindeer and films such as Promising Young Woman and I May Destroy You, Young sees a new era in which female characters refuse to be mere victims, instead reclaiming agency and complexity. “There are now more women making films and telling their stories, leading to much richer characterisation on screen,” she said.
While Close’s on-screen personas have sparked debate and reflection, her influence is now being celebrated in a more tangible way at the Telfair Museums in Savannah, Georgia. As reported by WSAV-TV on October 6, 2025, the museum has just opened an exhibition titled “The Art of the Character: Highlights from the Glenn Close Costume Collection.” The show, running through February 2026, features more than 50 ensembles from Close’s extensive archive, which numbers over 800 pieces housed at Indiana University.
The costumes on display represent collaborations with some of the industry’s most celebrated designers, including Anthony Powell (101 Dalmatians), Ann Roth (The Stepford Wives), and James Acheson (Dangerous Liaisons). Each piece is a testament to the painstaking craftsmanship that goes into building a character from the outside in. As Close herself has put it, “What a character wears has everything to do with who that character is. Like a marionette hanging lifeless on a wall, a costume on a hangar is waiting to come alive.” The exhibition also features meticulously crafted accessories—jewelry, hats, gloves, and shoes—and even special paper wigs created just for the occasion, offering fans and newcomers alike a behind-the-scenes look at how cinematic magic is made.
David Brenneman, executive director and CEO of the Telfair Museums, expressed excitement about the exhibit’s potential to inspire. “Our visitors will be fascinated and inspired by the insights into the career of an iconic American actress as they explore the exquisite craftsmanship this multifaceted collection offers,” he told WSAV-TV.
Both the poll results and the museum exhibition underscore the enduring resonance of Glenn Close’s artistry. Her willingness to tackle challenging roles, coupled with her meticulous attention to detail, has not only earned her a place among the greats of American cinema but has also sparked vital conversations about gender, power, and representation. As Caroline Young’s book and the Telfair exhibition make clear, Close’s influence extends far beyond the screen, shaping how audiences think about the stories we tell—and the ones we live.
Whether she is being honored with a lifetime achievement award, dissected in cultural analysis, or celebrated through the very costumes that brought her characters to life, Glenn Close remains a singular figure in the landscape of American film. Her legacy, it seems, is only growing richer with time.
