I will admit it. I am one of the 10 people in America who has not traditionally been a Sandra Bullock fan. Why? Because she got herself pigeonholed as the romantic comedy queen—playing the quirky, irreverent, clutzy girl over and over again, and making me want to gag in the process. But last night, Sandra actually won me over. I love that she recognized how unlikely it is that the star of “Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous” would five years later be Best Actress, without sounding insincere or too self-deprecating. After the jump, 10 reasons why I’m a Sandra convert.
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Her acceptance speech (watch it here) was gracious, funny, and sincere. “Did I really earn this, or did I just wear you down?” she said. “I share this award with [the other nominees]. Gabby, you are exquisite. Carey, your grace and your beauty and your talent … make me sick. Helen, I don’t have the words to express what you mean to me. And Meryl, you are such a good kisser.” Ha!
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For accepting her Razzie—for Worst Actress of the Year in “All About Steve”—with just as much grace as she did the Oscar. “I think this is an extraordinary award,” she said. “And I didn’t realize that, in Hollywood, all you had to do was say you’d show up, and then you’d get the award. If I’d known that, I would have said I was appearing at the Oscars a long time ago.”
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For having an exceptionally cool upbringing. She’s the granddaughter of a rocket scientist and the daughter of a German opera singer. She lived in Germany until she was 12 and sang in the opera’s children’s choir there. Yet she didn’t sing her way to an Oscar. [Wikipedia]
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Because her breakout role was “Speed,” which is still an awesome flick. Good enough that we’ll forgive her and Keanu for the debacle that was “The Lake House.”
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For having a production company that’s a family affair—her dad is the CEO and, until recently, her sister was president. She evidently tried to make “Million Dollar Baby” before Clint Eastwood did, though everyone told her no one would be interested in a female boxing movie. [Contact Music]
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For moving on from dating predictable guys like Tate Donovan and Matthew McConaughey, and falling for motorcycle maven Jesse James, who’s covered in tattoos and used to be married to a porn star. We adore how genuinely in love they are.
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For not even thinking about getting married until she was 40. And she dedicated her Oscar to “moms who take care of babies, no matter where they came from.” Was she referencing the fact that she’s now a step-mom to Jesse’s kids?
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For surviving a plane crash. In 2000, her plane landed in a blizzard and crashed into a snow bank, totally mangling the plane. “We prayed that the plane wouldn’t explode,” she said. [Cinema]
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For flipping the tables and asking Barbara Walters, “What kind of tree are you?” and “What do you want 10 years from now?” in the final moments of her last “Barbara Walters Oscar Special.”
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For being tired of romantic comedies. “They’re not funny, they’re not romantic, they’re not written well for women anymore,” she said. “I’m done.” And actually making herself break out of that role with “The Blind Side.” We’re glad she’s been rewarded for taking that chance.
Were you glad Sandra won?
Original by: Kate Torgovnick
