Melissa Leo Reflects on 'Better Career' Before Oscar Win

Melissa Leo, who won the best supporting actress Oscar for “The Fighter” in 2011, said during a Q&A with The Guardian that her career was “much better” before winning the award. “Winning an Oscar has not been good for me or my career,” Leo said. “I didn’t dream of it, I never wanted it and I had a much better career before I won.” Leo’s comments were in response to a question about what “goes through your mind” when your name is called during the Oscars. Recalling the night she won, Leo said, “I had won a lot of prestigious awards for ‘The Fighter’ that season, and sat in that great gigantic theater thinking: ‘Well, it certainly is possible.’ Kirk Douglas came out to present the best supporting actress award, opened the envelope and called my name. I was so delighted to meet him — that was all I was thinking about.” She added, “I turned to the house, which in most theaters, you can see by looking a little above your own eyesight. In the Dolby Theatre, you have to raise your chin like you’re about to scale Mount Everest. Every single actor, director and producer you recognize, is staring you in the face. I then cursed, and I’m still sorry I cursed.” Leo famously said the f-word during her acceptance speech. She said that Kate Winslet made it look “so fucking easy” when she won best actress for “The Reader” in 2009. She said of the slip-up, “I fucking curse all the time, but you cannot curse on network television. Thank God for the 10-second delay, which was introduced for fucking idiots like me.”