Oscar Profile #179: Amy Adams

Born August 20, 1974, Amy Lou Adams was the fourth of seven children born in Vicenzo, Vineto, Italy to a Mormon family while her father, a U.S. serviceman, was stationed there. Settling in Castle Rock, Colorado, the family would leave the Church after her parents’ divorce in 1985, but the church’s basic “do under others” philosophy has remained with Adams as she pursues her acting career.

Originally setting out to become a ballerina, Adams also sang and acted in high school. Moving to Atlanta after her high school graduation, she was eventually discovered by a Minneapolis dinner theatre director for whom she worked for three years. While recovering from a pulled muscle, she auditioned for the 1999 film, Drop Dead Gorgeous. After getting the role, she moved to Los Angeles and found work in other films as well as occasional TV work.

A lovely performance opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in 2002’s Catch Me If You Can failed to be the springboard for a major career, but a stand-out role in the independent 2005 film Junebug proved to be just the ticket she needed. It earned the first of her five Oscar nominations to date.

Her portrayal of a cartoon character come to life in the 2007 Disney hit, Enchanted was her first starring role. Co-leads in 2008’s Sunshine Cleaning with Emily Blunt and Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day with Frances McDormand were followed by the same year’s Doubt for which she received her second Oscar nomination in support of Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Adams shared starring roles with Streep in the 2009 hit, Julie & Julia. Charming in 2010’s Leap Year opposite Matthew Goode, it was that year’s The Fighter opposite Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale that earned her a third Oscar nomination.

The hit return of The Muppets kept her before the pubic in 2011 while three 2012 films increased her visibility big time. She was part of the ensemble in Walter Salles’ adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road; Clint Eastwood’s daughter in Trouble With the Curve and Philip Seymour Hoffman’s wife in The Master for which she received a fourth Oscar nomination.

In 2013 she was an underwhelming if commercially successful Lois Lane in the latest Superman incarnation called Man of Steel opposite Henry Cavill. More importantly she had major roles in two of the year’s Best Picture nominees. She was Joaquin Phoenix’s real life girlfriend in Spike Jonze’s Her and a con woman opposite Christian Bale and Bradley Cooper in David O. Russell’s American Hustle for which she secured her fifth Oscar nomination, her and first in the lead category.

Adams met her fiancé, actor and artist Darren Le Gallo, in an acting class in 2001. Their daughter Aviana was born in 2010.

Amy Adams has three films in various stages of production. The five-time Oscar nominee will be 40 this year.

ESSENTIAL FILMS

ENCHANTED (2007), directed by Kevin Lima

One of Disney’s better live action films of recent years provided Adams with her first starring role. She is enchanting indeed as the cartoon princess come to life in New York City where she sweeps Patrick Dempsey’s off his feet. Featured are James Marsden as her other-world Prince; Susan Sarandon as the evil cartoon world Queen; Timothy Spall as an amusing troll and Idina Menzel as Dempsey’s fiancé.

The film was nominated for three Oscars, all for its songs: “Happy Working Song”; “That’s How You Know” and “So Close”, all by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz. They lost to “Falling Slowly” from Once. The fifth nominee was “Raise It Up” from August Rush.

DOUBT (2008), directed by John Patrick Shanley

Adams earned her second Oscar nomination for her deceptively simple portrayal of a naïve nun in the film version of John Patrick Shanley’s hit play, directed by the writer himself.

That Adams holds her own against the powerhouse performances of Meryl Streep as a rigid nun; Philip Seymour Hoffman as a suspected pedophile priest and Viola Davis as a helpless mother is something of a miracle. Not only does she hold her own, she deserved to be nominated alongside all three of her more celebrated co-stars.

The following year she would share co-starring honors with Streep in Julie & Julia in which she would be cooking blogger Julie Powell to Streep’s Oscar nominated Julia Child.

THE FIGHTER (2010), directed by David O. Russell

The story of Boston’s famed boxer “Irish” Micky Ward and his brother Dicky became the most successful film of veteran director Russell’s career up to that point.

Mark Wahlberg has his best screen role ever as Micky and Christian Bale easily earns an Oscar for the showier role of the troubled Dicky. A more difficult choice for voters was in deciding who they preferred giving the supporting actress Oscar to, Melissa Leo as the boys’ fight manager mother or Adams as Micky’s girlfriend. Both were nominated. Leo won with the assumption that Adams would have other opportunities. Indeed she has.

THE MASTER (2012), directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

Loosely based on the early days of the Scientology movement, Anderson’s film focuses on cult leader Philip Seymour Hoffman’s interactions with a troubled former sailor played to perfection by Joaquin Phoenix. Both actors turn in career high performances with Adams almost matching them as Hoffman’s iron-willed wife.

The film’s only Oscar nominations were for the performances of its three stars including Adams’ fourth.

AMERICAN HUSTLE (2013), directed by David O. Russell

Adams earned her first Oscar nomination in the lead category for her portrayal of a con woman in Russell’s latest hit.

While one can’t begrudge Adams’ awards success, I can’t say I agree with this latest nomination. Although I liked the film better than Russell’s over-praised Silver Linings Playbook of the year before, I didn’t much care for either Christian Bale’s rather lethargic portrayal of Adams’ con man lover or Adams’ 1970’s sexpot with a fake English accent that she keeps losing both in and out of character. Not in a year when Oscar failed to recognize the more evocative work of Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux in Blue Is the Warmest Color; Bérénice Bejo in The Past and Emma Thompson in Saving Mr. Banks.