The Associated Press reports that Diane Keaton received a Sherry Lansing Leadership Award during this year’s edition of Women in Entertainment Breakfast. The actress was very pleased with the prize she received because it is usually handed to the most powerful women in Hollywood.

Hollywood Reporter has hosted the 21st edition of their Women in Entertainment Breakfast on Wednesday, at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Diane Keaton was the actress who was chosen to receive the prestigious diamond-and-ruby encrusted prize of the gala.

As soon as the 66-year-old star found out that she was going to receive a prize on Wednesday evening, she began panicking about her speech. Despite the preparations she made, the actress was still not pleased with her discourse. She warned the audience that she didn’t manage to find any suitable joke for the occasion and that her speech may not be as emotional as the ones of the previous honorees.

When she eventually arrived on stage, Keaton told the audience that she had been very stressed because she wanted her speech to be the best. “I just wanted my speech to be the most touching, heartfelt, funniest, yet also persuasive, because that’s what a leader is,” she stated. The pressure was even bigger since the previous Lansing Award winners – Meryl Streep, Jane Fonda and Helen Mirren – delivered wonderful speeches.

Apparently, powerful women are not just behind successful men, but also behind successful women, according to Keaton’s declaration. As a result, she dedicated her newly-received award to her mother, her “first and most inspired leader”, who passed away in 2008 of Alzheimer’s.

Wednesday’s breakfast event coincided with the publication of Hollywood’s Reporter Power 100 chart enlisting the most influential women in the entertainment industry. The first position of the chart was held for the third year in a row by Anne Sweeney, co-chairman of Disney Media Networks and president of Disney/ABC Television Group.