Dolly de Leon on failed Oscars bid: ‘Umiyak ako’

INTERNATIONALLY-acclaimed actress Dolly de Leon did not shy away from admitting that she was hurt after she failed to secure a Best Supporting Actress nomination from the Academy Awards, or the Oscars. 

De Leon, who delivered an epic performance in Ruben Östlund Triangle of Sadness, missed out on being one of the five main contenders in the best supporting actress race.

“Ang initial reaction ko talaga, umiyak ako,” she said during the recent press conference for her advocacy project, Hulmahan. 

She admitted that she had gotten her hopes up after the praise for her performance.

“I mean, I’m not gonna lie, I’m not gonna pretend na okay lang sa’kin na hindi ako na-nominate nung time na ‘yon di’ba? Syempre sumama loob ko kasi andami kong nakausap na baka, baka, baka so parang na-ingrane na są utak ko na baka nga, baka nga,” she shared.  

“Pero nu’ng hindi ko nakuha, sumama loob ko”

Dolly de Leon

But she did not wallow for long. She said she felt bad for “about two to three days,” and then was okay after that.

She pulled herself together and moved on. 

“This is a game we’re all playing anyway. If you think about it, this award thing, great, and ganda kung may recognition, may award. Pero at the end of the day, sana let’s just let the work speak for itself,” she said. 

She also made it clear that her opinion was not in any way meant to discredit the nominees, whom she knows are all brilliant actors and would be happy for whoever will be given recognition. 

The nominees for Best Supporting Actress are Angela Bassett for Wakanda Forever; Hong Chau for The whale; Kerry Condon for The Banshees of Inisherin; Jamie Lee Curtis for Everything Everywhere All at Once; and Stephanie Hsu for Everything Everywhere All at Once.

Oscars attendance?

Even if de Leon was not nominated, she would love to be invited to the awards night. After all, Triangle of Sadness is still vying for the Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Director awards. 

“Definitely hoping for that,” she said. “Gusto ko pumunta soon. Ang hinihintay ko lang talaga ‘yung plan kasi ‘yung totoo, hindi pa namin alam kung kasama naming lahat eh. I want to go, gusto ko ma-experience.”  

The movie, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May last year, follows the story of a cruise ship for the super rich. The ship sinks, leaving its A-list passengers, which include a fashion model, a celebrity couple and crewmen, trapped in a deserted island. 

De Leon plays Abigail, a yacht toilet cleaner who held the key to the survival of these rich people who once underestimated and looked down on her. 

The 55-year-old theater and movie actress won best supporting actress at the Sweden’s Guldbbage Awards and at the 48th Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards.

She was also nominated for a Golden Globes award, but lost out to Angela Basset in the best supporting actress category.

Photo credit: Dolly de Leon via Facebook