Sam Elliott is a Hollywood treasure, and I think that's something we can all agree on. Whether it's his sultry voice, his magnificent mustache, or his incredible acting skills, I've never met a single person who dislikes Elliott.
After 50 years in the industry, most people are surprised to find out that the 74-year-old actor had never been nominated for an Academy Award, despite his illustrious career. Thankfully, that streak came to an end this year when Elliott was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his work in the phenomenal A Star Is Born.
In an interview with Deadline, Elliott was asked about his reaction to getting nominated for an Oscar, and his answer was basically what you'd expect it to be.
"I think the thing off the top of my head might be, "˜It's about f*cking time,'" he joked. "Beyond that, it's really about the work; it's just about the creative process. It's great to be recognized for that, that's really all it's about."
Leave it to Elliott to joke about such a historic moment! Elliott's character in the movie, Bobby Maine, has an emotional relationship with his brother Jackson, played by Bradley Cooper. When Cooper approached Elliott to be in the film, Elliott knew after their first meeting that he would be signing on.
"I'd never met Bradley before that," Elliott recalled. "We spent a couple of hours at his home, and we talked about family and mothers and where his vision was for the film and the relationship [between] Bobby and Jack. There wasn't any question when I left there that I wanted to do it."
Even though this is a big moment for Elliott in his career, he couldn't help but talk about the movie as a whole and how it connected with audiences so beautifully.
"I just think it has a number of universal themes that a lot of people can tap into," he said. "The music's one thing, that stands alone on some level, but it's also an intricate part of the story. The love story, the love and loss. Then beyond that, it's the addiction theme. I don't know anybody that hasn't had some connection, either directly or indirectly, someone in their family, or someone they love, with alcoholism or addiction. It's just one one of the things we live with today. I think the combination of all those factors is what people have responded to."
The Ranch actor continued, talking about how special it was to work with the actors in the film, and how he feels lucky to be involved in such a special project.
"I'm so grateful to be a part of it," Elliot gushed. "It's meant everything to me. It's been some sort of a gift in my world on a personal level. I think my biggest takeaway is just how fortunate I am. Number one, to still be in the game, but to have an opportunity to work with two people like Bradley and Stefani [Lady Gaga], it's just extraordinary. Fifty years into the game and all of a sudden to have anything to do with this, to be connected with a film like this, it's just a wonderful gift."
I know that I'm thrilled for Elliott and his accomplishments! This movie was so well done, and watching him really brought tears to my eyes.
[H/T: Deadline]
