Amy Madigan has won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in the supernatural horror film Weapons at the 98th Academy Awards. The victory sets a new record for the longest gap between nominations before a win; Madigan was previously nominated in the same category 40 years ago, in 1986, for Twice in a Lifetime.
Madigan defeated a strong field including Elle Fanning for Sentimental Value, Wunmi Mosaku for Sinners and Teyana Taylor for One Battle After Another. In an emotional speech, she joked about the difference between her two nominations: “What’s different is I got this little gold guy.”
In Weapons, directed by Zach Cregger, Madigan plays the malevolent Aunt Gladys, whose heavy makeup and large glasses became a popular internet meme, referenced by host Conan O’Brien in his opening skit. Her awards season success includes a Golden Globe nomination and a win at the Actor earlier this month.
Madigan thanked her fellow nominees for including her on the press circuit, as she was the sole representative from Weapons. She concluded: “Most of all, I want to thank my beautiful daughter, Lily, her husband, Sean. And, of course, all the dogs. But the most important is my beloved Ed. You’ve been with me forever. And that’s a long-ass time, and none of this would mean anything if he wasn’t by my side.”
Madigan and her husband, Ed Harris, made history in 1999 when they conspicuously failed to applaud the awarding of an honorary Oscar to Elia Kazan, who testified at the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1952.
