Amy Madigan was horror's secret weapon this awards season, and now she has the gold to prove it.
Madigan won the Academy Award for supporting actress for her turn as the ginger wig-donning witch Aunt Gladys in Zach Cregger's Weapons. She was the supernatural film's sole nominee and beat out contenders Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another), Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners), Elle Fanning (Sentimental Value) and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas (Sentimental Value) for the award.
"This is great!" Madigan exclaimed as she accepted the honour Sunday evening. She added with a laugh that she'd brainstormed speech material the previous night while shaving her legs, despite the fact that she was outfitted in slacks at the ceremony.
The actor said that the press has repeatedly asked her what's different about this nomination from her first several decades ago.
"What's different is I have this little gold guy," she quipped.
Madigan went on to thank Cregger for writing her a "dream part," and actor Ed Harris, her husband of 40-plus years, for his support.
"He's been with me forever, and that's a long-ass time," she said. "None of this would mean anything if he wasn't by my side."
Madigan's role in Weapons was so iconic that ceremony host Conan O'Brien parodied her character in his opening monologue, running with a trail of children behind him through various Oscar-nominated movies — from Sinners to KPop Demon Hunters (in animated form).
With her nomination for Weapons, Madigan set a new record for the longest gap between Oscar nominations for an actress. She earned her last nod 40 years ago for her performance as Sunny in 1985's Twice In A Lifetime, directed by Bud Yorkin and starring Gene Hackman.
Madigan's win on Sunday marked the first supporting actress victory for a horror film since Ruth Gordon's win for Rosemary's Baby in 1969.
Back in the press room after her win, Madigan said she loved Cregger's script, and the character of Gladys, from the jump.
"As soon as I read it, I knew I knew this woman. I knew a lot about her. I just knew that I could grab it by the throat," she said.
The actor added that an Aunt Gladys sequel is in high demand and highly likely to come to fruition.
"[Cregger] says, 'Yes, this is going to happen,'" Madigan said. "But we know how long stuff takes. We know what this business is like, and nothing's real 'til it is."
This awards season, Madigan also received nominations from the Golden Globe Awards, Critics Choice Awards and Actor Awards, the latter two of which she turned into wins.
The actor referenced her decades-long career as she dedicated her Actor Award win to her fellow SAG-AFTRA members earlier this month: "It's such an honour to be here. I've been doing this a long-ass time."
"Gladys has surprised me. She's getting a lot of love back," Madigan said. "I didn't know y'all want to hang out with her."
The veteran performer expressed similar surprise about her "Weapons" character's rapid rise to icon status in a recent episode of The Times' Envelope podcast.
"I thought people would really have a good time with Aunt Gladys," she said. "But the night that we opened it was, 'Boom.' So this was all a surprise to me." – Los Angeles/Tribune News Network
