Glenn Close says Gwyneth Paltrow’s Academy Award win for 1998’s Shakespeare in Love “doesn’t make sense.” The Miramax movie ended up taking the Best Picture award home that evening too, which has been debated for over 20 years now. The comedy was the first in the genre since Annie Hall (1977) to win Best Picture and many believe that it should have gone to Saving Private Ryan.
In a new interview, Glenn Close talked about being recognized for her acting work over the years. “I honestly feel that to be nominated by your peers is about as good as it gets,” Close says. However, she does see some faults in the award ceremonies and how they are structured. You can read what Close had to say below.
“I’ve never understood how you could honestly compare performances, you know? I remember the year Gwyneth Paltrow won over that incredible actress who was in Central Station and I thought, ‘What?’ It doesn’t make sense.”
The “incredible actress” that Glenn Close is referring to is well-known Brazilian actress Fernanda Montenegro, who won awards from the Berlin International Film Festival, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, along with others for her performance in Central Station. Shakespeare in Love is often deemed the worst movie to ever win Best Picture. Gwyneth Paltrow was also up against Cate Blanchett for Elizabeth, Meryl Streep in One True Thing, and Emily Watson in Hilary and Jackie.
The 1998 Academy Awards has been talked about a lot over the years, with the primary focus on Shakespeare in Love. Glenn Close says, “So I think who wins has a lot of things to do with how things have been, you know, whether it has traction or whatever. Publicity, how much money did they have to put it out in front of everybody’s sight. I have to be philosophical about it, if I was upset about it.” Harvey Weinstein put a lot of attention into the marketing of the movie and reportedly strong-armed the cast and crew into doing every interview.
Glenn Close has been nominated for an Academy Award 7 times and has never won over the course of her lengthy career. “I’m very proud of the times that my peers have felt that my performance was worthy of attention,” she said. Close has been nominated for The Wife, Albert Nobbs, Dangerous Liaisons, Fatal Attraction, The Natural, The Big Chill, and The World According to Garp. When discussing an awards show during a public health crisis, Close thinks it will be “sad” if people aren’t able to get together and celebrate. However, she is still focusing on her craft: “I just hope I can keep finding the parts because a lot of times I think it’s about the role.” You can check out the rest of the interview with Glenn Close above, thanks to the Popcorn with Peter Travers YouTube channel.
