Naomie Harris’ role in ‘Moonlight’ made her reconsider her "judgments about addiction".
The 40-year-old actress – who is nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as crack-addicted single mother Paula in the film – admits she had a "lack of understanding" about the plight of people who are dependent on drugs, but once she began researching her role, she came to understand that choice is a "luxury" that some people just don’t have.
She said: "I really couldn’t understand how people would choose drugs when they have children. But going through this whole experience has made me realise that the choices and the freedom I have are a real luxury. Many people are born into circumstances where they don’t have choices.
"I found that every crack addict I researched had been sexually abused or raped. That’s where Paula’s pain comes from..
"I learned that addiction is like a demon that overtakes you — but underneath, the beating heart of the person is still there."
Long before she knew she was nominated for an Oscar, Naomie had chosen her "wonderfully unusual" dress and the gown, whose designer she refused to reveal – has its own handler taking it from New York to Los Angeles for this weekend’s ceremony.
Speaking to Daily Mail columnist Baz Bamigboye, Naomi said: "You don’t want your dress to be like anybody else’s."
As well as Naomie’s nomination, ‘Moonlight’ is up for another seven Academy Awards, including the coveted Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor for Mahershala Ali and Best Director for Barry Jenkins.
Meanwhile, new research has shown almost seven in ten Brits (68%) have yet to watch any of this year’s nominated films.
In a bid to help film fans decide the must-see movies, TalkTalk TV enlisted the help of a new breed of vocal and brutally honest critics – aged between five and seven.
And in a hilarious video, the 10 children watched the trailers of the nominated works and gave their own take on what they saw, such as the "cute but disgusting" kissing scenes in ‘La La Land’ and the strange appearance of a "giant surfboard" in Arrival.
Watch the video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=89YMpgsAn0o&feature=youtu.be.
The study also showed one in five Brits experience Award Season Anxiety – the feeling that there are too many good films to see and too little time to watch them all, while 27 per cent of those surveyed admitted they had only watched an Oscar-nominated film because of the hype.
A selection of previous Academy Award-winning films are available on the TalkTalk TV Store and have been discounted by up to 50 per cent.
To find out more head to talktalktvstore.co.uk/theawardwinners.
Naomie Harris lost addiction judgements
