18 February 2013
Newsdesk
Quvenzhané Wallis has joked she'd make a great friend to her Oscar-nominated film character - as long as her on-screen counterpart "wears pants".
The nine-year-old is the youngest star ever to receive a best actress nomination at the Academy Awards, thanks to her role in acclaimed drama Beasts of the Southern Wild.
Quvenzhané plays six-year-old Hushpuppy, who goes on a mission to find her mother when her father's health deteriorates and she's faced with a dramatically changing world.
Quvenzhané admits she can relate to her character.
"Definitely. But Hushpuppy doesn’t wear pants pretty much, and I love to wear pants in public!" she laughed in an interview with flicksandbits.com when asked if she could be friends with her on-screen character.
"Also, I have a great father, but her father in Beasts of the Southern Wild is dying. Hushpuppy has more pets than me, I only have one. She has a lot more outside things that she can go to do, I have less things that I can go to do. She can complete whatever she wants to complete, I have to have permission to complete something, or to have adventures. I think we could be friends, she would have to wear pants though! And we both love seafood!"
Quvenzhané had a lot of fun making the movie. The young actress loved working alongside actor Dwight Henry and director Benh Zeitlin in particular.
"Working with Mr. Henry was fun! The first day I saw him he brought me some sweets, he brought me cookies, buttermilk drops, brownies. So I ran to Benh and was like, 'He’s the one,'" she smiled.
"Working with Mr. Henry was fun because he not only knows how to bake, but he also knows how to make me happy. He does things that he does with his real daughter with me... Benh was fun, he made me laugh. He would aggravate me with 'one more time.' When he said 'one more time' he actually meant five more times!"
Quvenzhané is up against a host of Hollywood's finest for the best actress gong, including Jennifer Lawrence, Jessica Chastain and Emmanuelle Riva.
Much buzz is surrounding Jennifer and Emmanuelle, with either predicted to scoop the coveted gong at the annual awards ceremony, while Daniel Day-Lewis is expected to win the best actor prize for Lincoln.
After winning at the Golden Globes and BAFTAs, it’s widely speculated that Ben Affleck's Argo could be named best picture at the Oscars.
Ang Lee has also emerged as a surprise frontrunner to pick up best director for Life of Pi.
