"I did it all by myself."
That is how Allison Janney started her acceptance speech when she took the stage to claim her title of Best Supporting Actress at the 90th Academy Awards. Janney won for her role as LaVona Golden in I, Tonya, starring Margot Robbie as her daughter, scorned ice skater Tonya Harding.
Janney let the line sit for a little bit while the crowd started to applaud again and laugh. She smirked as she added: "Okay, nothing further from the truth." She then went into her full list of friends, colleagues, and costars who contributed to her performance and career.
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Even though Janney was kidding when she congratulated herself for her win — it's true. She did this herself. She put in all the hours, all the time in the makeup chair, not to mention the many, many years she spent working on other smaller roles. I, Tonya marks the actress' first Oscar nomination, as well as her first win.
Janney has appeared in 120 different productions in her long career in Hollywood, and has an interesting connection to the movie that would lead to her first Oscar win. The role of Golden may have been based on a Harding's real life mother, but Steven Rogers wrote the part with Janney in mind, something he has done for multiple movies throughout the years. Janney and Rogers are old friends, first meeting in the '80's, but this was the first time that they were able to unite for a film. And it worked out pretty nicely, eh?
Janney of course mentions Rogers later in her speech, thanking him for the "gift of LaVona." Even though she had help and support from key characters in her life, this incredible achievement is all hers, and she should be eager to brag about that.
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