Irma P. Hall triumphed over serious injuries from a January car crash to attend a private screening of her new movie, "The Ladykillers," at a local Chicago theater.
"I loved the whole thing," the 68-year-old actress said. "You never really know until you see it on the screen."
Hall plays a formidable, Bible-thumping landlady opposite Tom Hanks in the film, directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. She has been recovering in a Chicago convalescent center from accident-related open-heart surgery, a broken arm and a crushed ankle.
Hall said she was delighted to be surrounded by friends for Wednesday's screening. "I've been waiting so long for this," she said. "I couldn't even sleep last night."
While recuperating from her injuries, Hall said she heard from the Coen brothers, Hanks and co-star Marlon Wayans.
"We're all like family," she said. "They all signed my pillow. Whenever I miss them, I hug it."