Even Oscar winners have to go to work, and Best Supporting Actress winner Allison Janney is no exception. Allison, who (deservedly) took honors for playing Tonya Harding’s hardscrabble, bird-sporting mother, LaVona, in I, Tonya returned to work on her sitcom, Mom, on Monday.
The 58-year-old actress was greeted by the show’s cast and crew, who helped her celebrate her victory with a bottle of apple cider and 90 roses (one for each year of the Oscars’ existence). One of the writer’s assistants on the show gifted Allison with a t-shirt, featuring a bird (of course) that reads “I survived awards season and all I got was this lousy T-shirt.” In smaller print, the shirt went on to say, “And a Golden Globe, SAG Award, BAFTA, Critic’s Choice, Spirit Award, Hollywood Film Award, AACTA International Award, SB Outstanding Performer Of The Year, and a freakin’ Oscar :).”
Allison’s co-star and TV daughter, Anna Faris, gave a short speech before the cast’s morning script read-through and obligatory photos with the golden statue. As much as I loved her in Just Friends (and I’ll admit The House Bunny is a guilty pleasure), that’s probably as close as Anna is going to get to that statuette. Just saying.
In the Oscar press room on Sunday night, Allison told reporters that, “I have to be at a table read for Mom at 10am tomorrow morning so I am going right back to work.” She added that “I am so happy that I have a job to go to after something like this because it can go to your head.” She gave props to the show’s cast and crew. “I’m happy I have the people at Mom to lift me up and keep me going and keep me focused. I’m just happy to have a job to go to tomorrow. This was extraordinary.”
During another interview with ABC, Allison said she composed “pages and pages” of potential acceptance speeches and joked, “All these brilliant writer friends of mine have all contributed and given me ideas, and I have stolen from every single one of them.”
After that came an epic moment, when Best Actress winner Frances McDormand breezed in and offered her a sip of her adult beverage. Frances said, “Cheers, darling,” adding, “Have a little sip, have a little sip, it’s tequila.” Allison took a sip from a straw and then hugs were exchanged. When the reporters complimented Frances on her acceptance speech, Frances demurred, “Well, you know, we know, it’s theater, don’t we?” before breezing away. Damn, I love these women.
.@AllisonBJanney on the moment Frances McDormand asked all the female nominees in every category to stand with her: "That was the best moment. It was really special." #Oscars pic.twitter.com/49ta3E65Io
— Good Morning America (@GMA) March 5, 2018
I’m not saying it was the tequila, or the champagne, but Allison is one fun Oscar winner. A fan site posted a clip of the actress screaming “What’s up, bitches?” as she greeted her team in her hotel room after the evening’s festivities. I want to party with this lady. Congrats on your well-deserved win, Allison.
Allison Janney, Oscar in hand, screaming “What’s up, bitches!?!?” at her team is everything 😂🙌🏻😍 #legend 📹: @jillcrosbyhair pic.twitter.com/2iBoDmuSXx
— Allison Janney Daily (@TheAllisonDaily) March 5, 2018
Photos: Getty Images, Instagram, WENN.com
I love her.
Can we scrap all other reboots and have a West Wing reboot? Or will they ruin it??
I’ve been re-watching The West Wing in recent weeks, and it just demonstrates how awful Trump is in the leading real-life role of POTUS. If only C. J. would come back and be press secretary!
I do love that this year the winners were two actresses of a certain vintage both with incredible bodies of work behind them. I’m sick of young ingenues winning for okay performances. Natalie Portman, Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Stone… none of those performances deserved an oscar in my books. How the hell these ladies have Oscars when someone like Annette Benning – who turns a flawless and completely submerged, layered, nuanced performance every single time – has none is a travesty.
I so agree with you! Good to see actresses who have a long track record of excellence get rewarded. i’d also put Laurie Metcalf in that category too, and quite frankly, so many others, like Annette Benning. I find Jennifer Lawrence tiresome and others like Emma Stone over-rated. They’re young, pretty and all that. They haven’t the chops that the older women have, not by a long shot.
Allison Janney is a gem. She makes everything look easy. But she works hard, is fun and well-loved by her colleagues, wherever she goes. I doubt whether she’d let an award go to her head! So pleased for her well-deserved success.
Jennifer winning over Emmanuelle Riva or Emma Stone winning over Isabelle Huppert were jokes but I suppose the Academy loves giving the award to young actresses specially american ones.
Agreed. And I’ll add to that Natalie winning over Annette Benning – whose performance that year was incredible. She WAS that character. The worst for me though is Emma. She can’t sing or dance and her performance was mostly making big sad eyes with too dark eyebrows. I just don’t get it.
I too was happy to see them both win, and to know there are some great roles out there for women beyond 25, even if they are few and far between.
I still can’t believe Emma won. I liked La La Land for what it was, and I generally like her, but I didn’t leave it feeling like it was award worthy, and certainly didn’t feel she gave the best performance of the year.
Agreed about Annette Bening.
She is fantastic, love her. Her & Frances need to do a movie together. Like, immediately!
Oh god, imagine the snarky humour!! I am SO up for that!!
She seems like a lot of fun. Cheers!!!
I didn’t see the film but her awards sound very well deserved. She seems great, so fun and generous and funny. I love how much her Mom co-workers clearly adore her. And I loved her red and white post-Oscar ensemble. Just perfect.
What a stunning picture of her in the red and white ensemble!
Came to say that too! It’s perfection and she is SO beautiful!!!
I love that photo too! I like the outfit in general, but that photo really is a knock out.
Came here to say that too. She looks foxy!
They’re the freaking best. Nasty women, all of them.
I hates both these wins, but I can’t hate the actresses. SO happy for CJ!
OMG she’s just the coolest. I’ve loved her since The West Wing and I’m so glad she’s got an Oscar now.
I want to see both of them in a movie!