Melissa Leo gets candid about her Oscar win: ‘Not good'

Melissa Leo is talking about her career’s biggest achievement – to win Academy Award.

“Winning an Oscar has not been good for me or my career,” the actress, 65, said while answering recent reader-submitted questions for The Guardian.

“I didn’t dream of it, I never wanted it, and I had a much better career before I won.”

Leo named first Academy Award in the Supporting Actress Oscar category in 2011 for her performance in the David O. Russell-directed boxing drama The Fighter.

The actress worked along costars like Mark Wahlberg, Amy Adams and fellow Oscar winner Christian Bale, the hit film resulted in several prizes for Leo, who has since had an Emmy-winning guest appearance on Louie in 2013.

She also starred in the 2015 series Wayward Pines and 2017 film The Most Hated Woman in America.

“One loses one’s mind,” she said in response to a question about the moment she became an Oscar winner.

“I had won a lot of prestigious awards for The Fighter that season, and sat in that great gigantic theatre thinking: ‘Well, it certainly is possible.’”

It was meeting presenter Kirk Douglas that constituted “all I was thinking about,” continued Leo. “Every single actor, director and producer you recognise, is staring you in the face.”

She added, “I then cursed, and I’m still sorry I cursed. I f---ing curse all the time, but you cannot curse on network television. Thank God for the 10-second delay, which was introduced for f---ing idiots like me.”

The actress spilled about her on-screen presence and her dissatisfaction about hand picking roles.

“My work chooses me,” she said. “I’m happy to play what I’m offered – apart from after The Fighter, when all I was offered was older, nasty women. I don’t want to do that anymore.”

Leo is set to star in the André Øvredal-directed Passenger.