Glenn Close: I prepare for disappointment ahead of award shows

Golden Globe nominee Glenn Close said she prepares for disappointment ahead of each awards ceremony.

The US actress has enjoyed a glittering career, earning plaudits and prizes for her roles in films such as Fatal Attraction, Dangerous Liaisons and Albert Nobbs.

Close, 71, could add to her extensive awards collection at the 76th Golden Globes on Sunday, where she is nominated for best actress in recognition of her portrayal of a beleaguered spouse in drama The Wife.

Close, who has been nominated for six Academy Awards, said she does not get her hopes up ahead of awards ceremonies.

Speaking at the Bafta Los Angeles Tea Party, she told the Press Association: “I find myself, to be absolutely honest, to be steeling myself to lose.

“It’s really interesting having been here all these years, in some ways there are certain parts that I think are a little bit more… my part is largely silent. It’s not flashy so I’d be very surprised (if I won). And I do believe to be in the room is a huge honour.

“Whether you win or not, I don’t like being put in a win-lose situation with wonderful artists. If I win, I’ll be thrilled, if I lose, that’s life.”

In The Wife, Close plays the spouse of Welsh actor Jonathan Pryce’s Nobel prize-winning novelist, who is left questioning her married life after sacrificing everything for her husband’s career.

Close has been applauded for the subtlety of her performance and said the complex and subdued nature of the character is what attracted her to the role.

She said: “I love scenes where I don’t have any dialogue, I’ve learned how powerful thought is in a close-up. Without the vision of Bjorn Runge, our director, who trained the camera on my face, again and again and again, and knew where to put the camera and how to light – that’s my performance.

“It seems simple, put the camera in the right place and light it right, but a lot of people don’t know how to do that, so I thank him for the power of my performance because he shot me that way.”

Close is up against Lady Gaga for A Star Is Born, Nicole Kidman for Destroyer, Melissa McCarthy for Can You Ever Forgive Me? and Rosamund Pike in A Private War.

The 76th Golden Globes take place in Los Angeles on Sunday.