MANILA – Dolly de Leon admitted she felt bad when she was not included in the list of nominees for Best Supporting Actress in the 95th Academy Awards.
In an interview on ANC’s “Headstart” on Monday, de Leon explained that all she wanted was simply for her performance in “Triangle of Sadness” to be recognized.
“That I wasn’t nominated for the Academy, I cried about that,” she said. “I just wanted a nomination. That’s all I wanted. And honestly 'yung Golden Globes, kaya rin hindi sumama' yung loob ko kasi I was just so happy to be nominated. That’s why I didn’t feel bad sa Globes,” she said.
While ultimately getting the accolade would be a welcome bonus, de Leon confessed getting snubbed by the Oscars was painful.
Explaining how she processed that news, de Leon said she was in the United States when her daughter who was in Manila then told her about it.
“I was in my brother’s house because he lives there. Usually it’s my daughter who tells me if I’m nominated or if I won. Laging ganoon. Usually ang announcements ay 5 a.m. so she usually wakes me up. Sabi ko the night before, if Lucia calls, it means I am nominated. If she doesn’t, I am not,” she recalled.
“So tulog ako, around 5 a.m., nararamdaman ko na nagva-vibrate 'yung phone ko pero hindi tawag. Puro texts lang. So sabi ko, ‘Ay hindi ako na-nominate. Okay lang,’” she added.
It was not until a few hours later that she actually felt emotional about not being nominated.
“It sunk in na talaga and that’s when I got a little emotional kasi kasama ko 'yung kuya ko. He’s very supportive of me. I love him so much. He’s been my rock through this whole thing. Siya lang ang kasama kong loved one sa America. We processed it together and that’s when I got emotional. We talked about it. Hindi naman 'yung nasa loob lang ako ng kwarto [at humagulgol],” she said.
De Leon said that went on and off for about three days until she got back to the Philippines.
“Kasi ang process noon, I was in the States, that was my last day there so the next day, lilipad na ako pa-Manila. I was on the plane, umiyak na naman ako. When I landed, I was in a different environment na naman. I was in the Philippines with my kids, that’s the third time and then okay na ako after that,” she said.
Despite not getting a personal nomination, de Leon was thrilled to share that she is still going to the Oscars on March 13 because “Triangle of Sadness” got several nominations, including Best Picture.
“I messaged [our director] and said congrats. Sabi niya, ‘Congrats to us.’ So parang for me, I’m also included in that nomination. I also feel like I am nominated because of the team.”
In “Triangle of Sadness,” de Leon played Abigail, a toilet cleaner at a luxury yacht who, thanks to her skills, becomes the leader figure among the mega-privileged passengers when they get stranded on an island.
Since the Cannes premiere of "Triangle of Sadness," de Leon has been earning non-stop raves from film pundits, winning the supporting-role categories of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, North Dakota Film Society Awards, and most recently, Guldbagge Awards.
Countless doors have also opened for de Leon, a stage veteran who had mostly been known for her supporting roles on the small and big screens. For one, she signed up with a US talent agency in mid-2022, and is expected to essay more international roles.