It may be fifth time lucky for Annette Bening, who heads into this year’s Academy Awards with another nomination – this time for Best Actress for her role in Naiad.
Bening left the ceremony empty-handed on four previous occasions, but she fondly remembers her first Oscar in 1991, when she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her film. Grifters.
The actress said Times of London That all the women in her category — Whoopi Goldberg, Diane Ladd, Mary McDonnell, and Lauren Bracco — came together before the presentation and came to an agreement.
Benning narrated:
“We got together in a little meeting and said, ‘Okay, let’s all have dinner next week and whoever wins will pay.’ Thus Whoopi Goldberg won (l ghost) She sent each of us a bouquet of flowers and a card with the words: “We will meet at such-and-such restaurant next week at a certain time.” We all came and had dinner and Oscar gave us chocolates and gardenias.
When asked why the story didn’t make it to the press at the time, Bening reflected on the change between then and now: “Technology has exploded and there’s just so much space on the Internet that has to be filled with stuff. Back then it was considered bad to promote yourself, now it’s considered bad.” If you don’t.
This year, Bening was not nominated for Best Actress for her role as endurance swimmer Diana Nyad, who in 2013 at age 64 swam the 110-mile journey from Havana, Cuba, to Key West, Florida.
Bening spent a year training for the role, working with American Olympic swimmer Radha Owen to look convincing on screen. She said times I mostly declined to help doubles during production:
“Part of that is I knew that if someone else got in the water it wouldn’t look right. We all know what it’s like when you watch something and think, ‘It’s not that person.’ You can say that, and I didn’t want that.” But it’s also a case of ‘this is mine – I have to do this.’ It’s like an ego!
Naiad Available now on Netflix. The Oscars are scheduled to be held on March 10y.