(CNS) Posted Monday February 6, 2012– 4:00pm
In an annual rite of Oscar season, Academy Award-
nominated actors, directors and producers descended on the Beverly Hilton today
for a good-natured lunch and photo session.
Among the estimated 150 guests gathered for a lunch of Asian-inspired
hors d'oeuvres and Atlantic salmon were nearly all of the actors and actresses
nominated for best performances in lead and supporting roles.
The elite group, which included Hollywood A-listers such as George
Clooney, Brad Pitt and Glenn Close, went through the annual ritual of fielding
questions from reporters before the lunch. They were peppered with inquiries on
topics ranging from how they prepared for their roles to their progress picking
out dresses to wear to the 84th Academy Awards on Feb. 26.
"I love that I'm in that room with all of those luminaries," said
Octavia Spencer, who is favored to win the Oscar for best supporting actress
for her role in "The Help." "Over there it's just a bunch of normal people
who happen to be named Glenn Close, George Clooney and Brad Pitt. And sometimes
you just find yourself kind of ogling over them."
Asked about achieving national acclaim at age 46, Viola Davis, who is a
favorite for best actress for "The Help," said, "When I was 28 years old, I
was on Broadway, and I just thought I could handle that success, and I lost my
hair. I lost my hair because I was stressed out, because I think I read a bad
review ... I had alopecia areata.
"Now at 46, I just let so much of that go ... you just start to connect
the dots and realize at the end of the day you really have to define joy and
happiness for yourself, and I'm so glad all of the scrutiny and exposure is
happening now," Davis added.
Jean Dujardin, who is a favorite in the best actor category for his
performance in "The Artist," dodged a question about a poster for his next
movie, which is causing a stir in France. The poster depicts the back of a
woman's head suggestively positioned at Dujardin's waist.
A reporter asked Dujardin if he was concerned the poster might hurt his
chances of winning the Oscar, but a publicist overseeing the interview session
ignored the question and called on another reporter.
Actress Michelle Williams, a contender in the best actress category for
playing Marilyn Monroe in "My Week With Marilyn," made light of a question
about her process for picking out a dress for Oscar night.
"Luckily it's a process that involves other people," she said.
Demian Bichir, nominated for best actor for his leading role in "A
Better Life," said he hoped the film could do something to focus attention on
the challenges immigrants face. In the film, Bachir plays a Mexican immigrant
gardener in East Los Angeles trying to keep his son away from gangs and
immigration officials.
"I wish this nomination could solve a lot of problems in Mexico. I
don't think it's gonna happen, but you know, I keep my hopes high," Bichir
said. "This could make a big difference if the right people see the film, if
the guys in Congress take a look at it and get touched by it.
"Hopefully this can send the right message that (immigration) is not a
political issue, but a human issue," Bachir added.
The 17 Oscar-nominated actors and actresses at the luncheon who took
questions were: Clooney, Rooney Mara, Max von Sydow, Davis, Jonah Hill, Pitt,
Janet McTeer, Glenn Close, Spencer, Kenneth Branagh, Berenice Bejo, Dujardin,
Gary Oldman, Melissa McCarthy, Williams, Nick Nolte and Bichir.
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