'Lady Bird' actress Laurie Metcalf on Oscar nomination: 'I just hadn’t planned on it ever happening to me'

"Lady Bird" star Laurie Metcalf never planned on getting an Oscar nomination.

ByABC News via logo
February 28, 2018, 11:40 AM

— -- Laurie Metcalf has two Emmys and a Tony award under her belt, and this year she’s going for Oscar gold.

Despite all her previous accolades, the first-time Oscar nominee -- who’s up for best supporting actress for her role in "Lady Bird" -- said she never imagined she’d be recognized by the Academy in this way.

"Just to be in the room is incredible," Metcalf, 62, told ABC Radio. "I just hadn’t planned on it ever happening to me."

The actress, who became a household name through "Roseanne," will star alongside original cast members Roseanne Barr and John Goodman when the show returns in March.

PHOTO: Laurie Metcalf, right, and Saoirse Ronan appear in a scene from "Lady Bird."
Laurie Metcalf, right, and Saoirse Ronan appear in a scene from "Lady Bird."

Aside from the highly anticipated reboot of "Roseanne," and the recognition from her peers for her work in "Lady Bird," Metcalf said there's something else that really tops it all. She said that she enjoys hearing the reactions from "Lady Bird" fans who relate to the relationship between her character Marion and her free-spirited daughter Lady Bird, played by Saoirse Ronan.

"That’s been wonderful to have mothers and daughters come up and say they've seen the movie together and they've had an epiphany throughout it, you know, seeing each other through different eyes," she said.

The movie also resonated in Metcalf's own household when she watched the film with her teenage daughter.

"My older daughter and I had the side-eye glances at each other throughout the movie because she's heard me say and she has said [things], if not verbatim, but very close to some of the lines that are in the movie," she said with a laugh.

"Lady Bird" scored five Oscar nominations in total, including best picture, best actress for Saoirse Ronan and best director for Greta Gerwig.

PHOTO: Sara Gilbert, Laurie Metcalf and Roseanne Barr appear in a scene from "Roseanne."
Sara Gilbert, Laurie Metcalf and Roseanne Barr appear in a scene from "Roseanne."

Metcalf will back on the small screen when "Roseanne" returns to ABC on March 27.

The 90th Annual Academy Awards airs live on ABC Sunday night starting at 8 p.m. ET.

Related Topics