"What did I just do?", wonders Amy

Songbird Amy Adams took the stage at the Academy Awards to perform her Oscar-nominated song last weekend. Karl Rozemeyer had the chance to interview her just a few days before that at a press event for Miss Pettigrew Lives for A Day.

Adams recalls how surreal she felt on receiving her first Oscar nomination and, less concerned about actually performing live in front of a massive global audience, she voices her fear about singing in front of her idol Daniel Day-Lewis.

Were you surprised at all with what happened with Enchanted, with the way that it just took off?

I was cast in that before I was even nominated for Junebug. We did that [film] two years ago now. It just took a while because of all the special effects and the animation. So, we did not expect that at all in the making of it. You never know. We were having fun and put a lot of heart into it. But you never know what the public response is going to be. It is a very different movie and you never know when people are going to embrace that.

Do you like doing musicals?

Yes. Very much! I come from musicals. I was a dancer, so I did a lot of chorus roles. I was a chorus girl. I played in Anything Goes and Crazy for You. I did regional theater. I am actually a really bad tap dancer. I usually would take the taps off my shoes. But luckily I was able to fool them to get the jobs.

Were you actually more surprised to see the response to Junebug than Enchanted?

That was the biggest surprise. That was a year [2006] of surprises. It just continued to build upon itself and it still sort of is. It is funny that people will talk to me and [say]: "I saw Junebug on Lifetime last night. And where did this come from? Where was this film?" And I would be like: "It was out there!!" But it was a small film and there was no television advertising, but it is continuing to build upon itself, which is wonderful. You don't know. You never know.

What was that Oscar nod experience like?

I felt like Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz or Alice in Wonderland. It was really surreal. But fun. I had a lot of fun. Just surreal.

You are performing at the Oscars this year…

I get nervous every time some one says that!

Does it make you more nervous, the idea of going up for the Award or doing the performance?

No… when I was nominated I was so much more nervous about the whole situation. I am nervous about the actual singing. I don't want to crash and burn. But if I do, it's sort of epic. At the time I will be mortified but like twenty years from now, I will be like: "You ought to see this!" [Laughs]. So I am trying to go into it with a really open mind and just have fun.

I am sure you will do well. But how are you going to celebrate?

I will probably pass out! I am presenting later so I will have to keep it together. And then after the whole thing, I will probably go: "What did I just do?"

Do you have your parties picked out?

No, I don't have any! I might have to fly back to New York the next day so I am probably going to have to keep it low-key.

Who are you going to be excited to meet?

Oooh…Cate Blanchett, Daniel Day-Lewis, Julie Christie. And Marion Cotillard — I know I am going to be like [in a whisper]: "You're so pretty… and talented." There are tons of people. I think when I get nervous about the singing it is more about [the fact that] I have to get up there and sing Happy Working Song to Daniel Day-Lewis. Now that is surreal! These people whom I want to see me as some Grande Dame of the screen, and I am going to be like [sings]: "Oooh — ooh, woo, hoo, woo!" It will be fun.

If you'd won the Oscar, who'd you have thanked?

Who would I have thanked? I don't know. You know, I didn't write a speech. And it caused a little bit of panic. I was sure Rachel [Weisz] was going to win. She deserved to win. I was cool with that. But at some point right before the category was being announced, I had prepped myself. And usually Supporting Actress is one of the first awards. But they flip-flopped it but I didn't know it. So we were all expecting it to be the second or third category and instead it was further into the show. So I was prepared to hold it together for a certain amount of time. And then that time increased and then I was like: "What if by some weird twist of fate, I win? What am I gonna do?!" I was so nervous thought I was gonna die.

So the typical list [of people to thank]: the parents, the agent, the managers…

I don't know. I probably just would have been the first person in history to stand with my mouth open and sort of gaze out into the audience.

Source: Premiere