Moore honored as Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year

After being kissed, flattered and roasted, Boston University alumna Julianne Moore was honored with The Hasty Pudding Theatricals Woman of the Year award on Thursday.

“The Kids Are Alright” star received the 61st Annual Harvard University Pudding Pot for her “exceptional range” and “outstanding work in both box office hits and independent features,” according to the Hasty Pudding Theatricals press release.

Moore, whose celebratory parade was cancelled due to snow, greeted students and Bostonians on the steps of the New College Theatre flanked by the troupe of fanciful drag queens. Amidst chants of “Julianne,” Moore danced the traditional Hasty Pudding kickline alongside the theatrical group, celebrating her achievement.

After her public appearance, Moore was roasted by the Hasty Pudding troupe for her roles in “The Hours,” “Hannibal” and failed attempt at a Boston accent in “30 Rock,” before receiving the Pudding Pot. With this award, she joins previous honorees such as Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway and Elizabeth Taylor as Woman of the Year.

Moore’s admirers took off work and classes to gather outside the New College Theatre hoping to meet the red-haired actress.

“I’ve taken a half day off from work in Kendall Square to come see Julianne Moore,” said Yusuf Chisti, 36, a Somerville resident. “She’s a brilliant actress who does a very unconventional choice of roles and many roles that deeply touched me. I would love to be able to meet her.”

Excited to see the spectacle of reporters and adoring fans, Lydia Chung came to the New College Theatre after her classes concluded for the day.

“She is in a lot of really good wide range of movies especially in comedy,” said Chung, a Harvard University freshman.

Fans agree that Moore deserved the award for her flexibility as an actress, said Marta Bralic, a Harvard University junior and Advertising Sales Manager for Hasty Pudding Theatricals.

“Moore is an extremely versatile actress and has done a lot of theater,” Bralic said. “She really is a prime candidate for this award.”

In a press conference following the roast, Moore talked extensively about her college life at BU, including tales of living in Claflin Hall her freshman year, working multiple jobs as tour guide at the Boston Tea Party Museum and as a bartender.

“It’s where I learned my life skills. It was the first time I was on my own,” Moore said about her days at BU. “After my freshman year it was the first time I had truly been independent and thought that I could do this.”

Moore also talked about her perception of other universities in Boston, defending against the jabs that “The Social Network” took at BU.

“Boston is home to nine major universities and how many colleges, so it’s difficult to determine people’s identities vis-a-vis their schools,” Moore said. “I was in the acting program at BU so it was an incredibly small community.”

However, she said the problem with Harvard students was that “they didn’t party.”

Disappointed in not receiving an Oscar nomination for her role as a lesbian mother in “The Kids Are Alright,” Moore said, “I’m not over it… I just feel bad for myself.”

“It is really a pity she hasn’t won an Oscar yet,” Chisti said. “She’s a children’s writer and a cutting edge actress, it’s time to start to highlight her accomplishments.”