Em’s folks in support role
Oppenheimer star takes parents to Oscars will have two special guests at the Oscars tonight – her mum and dad.
The Oppenheimer star, who has been nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, has invited her parents, Oliver and Joanna, to join her on the red carpet. And ahead of tonight’s ceremony, Emily credited her dad for kick-starting her career in a rather unusual way. She said: “My dad was always going to the video store to get really inappropriate films for all of us to watch. One of my first experiences was watching Jaws at the age of seven, and he would pitch that it was for the whole family – but it was really for him and we would be terrified.
“It was one of my first memories of films and it’s still my favourite, even now. I must have seen it 35 times.
“The more you see it, the more you learn about how extraordinary it is.”
Emily, who gave hope to struggling actresses everywhere when she broke into the movie industry with no formal training, said films like Jaws inspired her to get into acting. But she admits she had to battle against her insecurities at the beginning because she felt like she was “missing a road map.” She went on: “I saw that it was a profession you needed to wear a helmet for, emotionally, and that it was going to be hard on you and hard on your soul.
“I love emphasising the fact that everybody’s path in this industry is different – and that’s OK.
“You could be formally trained, or you cannot be… it doesn’t matter as long as it feels right to you.
“And I had quite a lot of shame about that in the beginning, not having formal training.
“I felt kind of guilty and felt like I’d maybe missed out on a roadmap that would’ve been helpful when I felt a bit lost.”
Emily may have felt a bit lost in the beginning, but one thing’s for sure – she’s certainly on the right path now.
‘‘ I love that everyone’s path in this industry is different