CATEGORY: PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
INTERVIEW WITH: TILDA SWINTON
FILM: "MICHAEL CLAYTON"
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Q. Tilda, hi, over here by the camera. I'm from the BBC, I just want to ask you how you feel about winning and whether you're prepared for being transported into the stratosphere because of the Oscar win.
A. I'm kind of working on that, I think so. I'll let you know. I'm so stoked, as they say, I think it's fantastic. It's completely astonishing, and I'm amazed I'm still standing, but I'm not complaining, it's good.
Q. Congratulations.
A. Thank you.
Q. Ms. Swinton, to your right. Congratulations so much. Sandy Kenyon from ABC. I was wondering, we saw you say "Wow, wow," you seemed stunned. What was going through your head as they called your name and you walked to the stage?
A. I really just had a reverse Zoolander moment when I think I heard someone else's name and suddenly slowly heard my own. I'm still recovering from that moment, and I have absolutely no idea what happened after that. So, you know, you can tell me my dress fell off and I'd believe you, so don't be cruel.
Q. Are you worried that there might be a SAG strike and do you have any films planned beyond June?
A. Where are you? Where you are, man? Okay.
Q. I'm with the L.A. Times. I was just wondering if you are worried that there may be a SAG strike down the road and do you have any films planned beyond June?
A. I'm never worried that there may be a strike, I'm worried that there may be a cause to strike. Striking is the thing we can do if conditions aren't right. I feel like recent events might have made a strike unlikely, but there's always that possibility. I have the great fortune of being European, so there are other planets for me to work on, but I have American projects which were, you know, waiting to see what happens when there's going to be a strike. I certainly wouldn't break any picket line.
Q. Tilda, to your left. L.A. Daily News. When you were up there you said you were going to give your Oscar away.
A. I have given it away, it's gone.
Q. You're going to do it?
A. I've given it, I've given it, I'm a man of my word. I've given it to my agent who truly, I mean not only does he does deserve it, but he really does look like this. And if you see a guy at the Governors Ball looking like this, this is him in his receiving position when I'm on the speaker phone telling him I'm going to do another art film in Europe. He's like (demonstrates). That's him.
Q. Hi, I'm directly behind the camera.
A. This is the way you keep people awake at this moment, this is a mad game. Where are you?
Q. Behind the camera, you'll see me. Congratulations. I wanted to know who you thought was going to win the category because your face was absolutely flabbergasted, you looked like you didn't think you were going to win today.
A. Who did I think I kind of thought Ruby Dee would win but frankly anybody but myself, so, yeah.
Q. Tilda, I've over here on your right. Independent Radio News in London. Congratulations.
A. Thank you.
Q. How are you planning on celebrating tonight?
A. There's some parties apparently, but you all know that better than me. But apparently they go on and on, so I might go there.
Q. Hi, Tilda, I'm over here, how are you doing?
A. Thank you.
Q. I was wondering, how do you relate to the future with concerns of success and future roles and kind of the way you grow? I kind of read something interesting about the way you feel about that and I'd like to hear kind of the way you think about that.
A. Well, I've just been with gorgeous Alan Arkin, who told me he didn't work for a year after winning one of these things, so who knows. I'm just making it up as I go along, I really am. I never expected to be holding one of these things. This is not where I was ever intending to be. I'm so happy that there's even some little corner in Hollywood for me to turn up in and enjoy being part of those films but that's not where I grew. You know, I grew in Europe and in independent film really when it was more underground film, and so I'm just, you know, as mystified as the rest. It's not the end of the line for me. I mean, Alan Arkin can give you some real good advice to do something really embarrassing next to put everybody off, but I really probably have already done that, so that's safe.
Q. So far so good for Europe. I mean you have the Oscar, Javier Bardem just won the Oscar, and it's just crazy, who would have thought two European actors have won two Oscars tonight. It's not like we see this everyday.
A. Dude, Hollywood is built on Europeans. I mean that's, you know, go back, look. I mean, that's what Hollywood is, you know. And I'm just really sad that I couldn't give a speech in Gaelic, but if I could, I would have. You know, the Italians, we just met in the corridor, but don't tell everybody but we're everywhere.
Q. In the back right corner over here. Hi. Congratulations.
A. Thank you.
Q. You played a woman who is willing to do anything to preserve her position. Is there anything in your life that you would do anything for?
A. Well, I don't have a position so that's and I honestly don't, and I think that's a really it's good to it's handy to not have anything that's going to break, because believe me, if I have something that might break I would probably break it.
Q. I'll stand up so you can see me, Tilda.
A. Thank you so much.
Q. Sarah Edwards from Boston, I work for Comcast. Congratulations, you were fabulous in "Michael Clayton." You had great fun making fun of George Clooney from the stage. Do you think there will be hell to pay at the parties afterwards?
A. I'm just paying him back.
Q. Was he a practical joker?
A. There are things, there are scores to be settled, and I took a chance tonight and it'll go on and on. We just made another film together so...
Q. So more fun and games with George.
A. Probably.
Q. Congratulations again.
A. Thank you very much.
Q. Hi there, congratulations. You look stunning tonight. Can you tell us how you picked the gown that you're wearing?
A. I'm wearing a dress that was made for me by Albert Elbaz of Lanvin, and he made it for me and I should be so lucky, you know, I'm not going to not wear it.
Q. What do you like about it? It's very unique.
A. Unique, that's such a great sort of euphemism. It's really really comfortable, I feel like I'm in my pajamas. And I'm kind of jet lagged so it's a slightly dangerous thing to wear, it's got an inflatable pillow so by midnight I can rest. It's just really easy.
Q. Congratulations.
A. Thank you.
Q. You seem to have an innate sense of humor, your acceptance speech was the funniest so far. How come you don't do comedies? Have you not been offered? Would you really be interested in it?
A. I think everything I do is hilarious, but obviously I'm in the minority, but I'm getting there.
Q. So you'd be interested in doing a comedic part?
A. Everything I do is funny, I'm not joking. I'll make it more obvious.
Q. How does your sensational personal life feed your sensational professional life?
A. Tell me about my sensational personal life.
Q. Well, everyone is talking about it these days.
A. Really?
Q. You've got lots of loving at home.
A. I have, yeah. How do you know that?
Q. Well, reporters from Great Britain were calling me about it, asking me what I thought about it.
A. That's great. They weren't calling me...
Q. Well, you have an unconventional love life.
A. Right.
Q. You have a boyfriend and a husband?
A. I don't have a husband, I've never been married.
Q. A boyfriend
A. I have children with someone else, with whom I'm bringing up my children, and I've lived with somebody else or I've lived with someone else, my sweetheart for the last three years, and maybe it's extraordinary that we're really all friends. (Interrupted by applause.) Who won?
Q. Marion Cotillard.
A. Fantastic, fantastic. You see what I'm saying about Europe.
Q. Tilda, Sam Rubin to your left, how are you?
A. Hi.
Q. On the red carpet, you said you had no expectation about what would happen tonight. So, I'm going to ask you three questions. A), why are you so excited by Marion Cotillard?
A. Because she's great, and that's it. I think she's great, and I think she's new and it's really great to feed the gene pool.
Q. For the agent who you're giving the Oscar to, what did he specifically do for you that merits him getting that Oscar?
A. He checks my luggage and he gets me on the plane, I can't put it more plain than that. I came to I can't remember, seven years ago when I was working in Europe I came to meet some people in America, thinking I'm never going to be able to work in Hollywood, there's no space for me here, and he told me to come and take some meetings and I met some fantastic people who I continue to work with. And he's just he gets it, you know, and I don't think I'm necessarily a kind of easy thing to get and I love him, he's great.
Q. Why were you so convinced, I know many people do this to psych themselves up, on the red carpet, you were convinced you were not going to be holding that tonight.
A. It helps that I never even watched this thing on television, and I've never been here before, I didn't know what to expect. I'm a little disappointed there weren't any dance numbers, and the thing outside, I didn't know what to expect, I thought it would be much more like Siegfried and Roy. And so when you don't know what's coming, you can't visualize it, I don't know, I'm just very lazy, it never occurred to me.
Q. Congratulations, good for you.
A. Thank you.
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