If there’s one thing that Mo’Nique hates, it’s giving interviews in support of her movie, Precious, and her Oscar chances. Basically, she finds this even more torturous than showing up to film festivals without being paid a fee. Seriously, how many times must she explain this to people? Because the New York Times apparently did not get the message when the actress sat politely for interviews with Lynn Hirschberg (for the Times Magazine’s October cover story on Precious) and Paula Schwawrtz (for a Carpetbagger Q&A on the Golden Globe nominations last month), the paper dispatched David Carr to interview Mo’nique for a third time for a piece in yesterday’s “Arts & Leisure†on the subject of her interviews and Oscar campaign (headline: “Me, Campaign? Just Go to the Filmâ€). Perhaps this will finally clear things up, then?
Says Mo’Nique to Carr:
“Anytime I’ve been given an award, it has been because of the performance; what else goes into it?†she said, appearing genuinely mystified. “Look, it makes me appreciative any time someone says they may want to honor your performance. I’m appreciative at any talk in reference to any award, but there’s not much I can do about it now. The performance is done.†[…]
But isn’t she worried that “they†will think she doesn’t want the Oscar?
“I’ve been asked the question before,†she said, “and it’s like, guys, I also have this show called The Mo’Nique Show where I tape six shows a week. I have twins who are 4, so I have babies, I have an amazing husband and a son who’s 19. What I can participate in I’m more than happy to.â€
So maybe it’s not that she hates giving interviews, necessarily. It’s just that, between hosting a TV show, having a family, and being pestered constantly by the Times, she doesn’t have as much time for them as she’d like. Sounds totally reasonable to us.
Me, Campaign? Just Go to the Film [NYT]
Mo’Nique on the Globes, Oscar Campaigning and Bathrooms [Carpetbagger/NYT]
The Audacity of ‘Precious’ [NYT]