A more personal take on why I'd like to see Melissa Leo to win Best Actress this year.

I originally wrote this in the comments section regarding a former post regarding having seen Frozen River.

However, I thought this comment was interesting enough, and certainly long enough, to merit it's own post and not just languish, buried in some random comments section somewhere.

So, here it is, again with a little re-working in it's own private post.

From Me to Prince Gomolvilas re: Melissa Leo in Frozen River:

...Yeah, it's (Frozen River) is a film which I think is incredibly respectful to all the characters in the film.

Let's face it, (unfortunately) I think Winslet may win this year, because she's so well known, but I'm obviously loyal to those who've touched my life personally, and this time, I actually think Leo deserves to win.

And, yes, I'm a fan of all the women nominated this year. How do you call any one actors work "the best?" You can't. But, you can choose who to honor that year.

Leo was as good as any of the others, she was terrific and lesser known actors deserve a break from places like The Academy Awards.

However, here's the real scoop: Between you and me and whoever reads my blog down this far about why it matters to me personally that Leo gets that little gold guy:

The truth was, Melissa's life wasn't always so easy back when she was growing up*, but that's not my story to tell.

I can only talk about how I knew her.

(I'm the lanky, hippie-geek pointing to the soccer ball, Melissa Leo is in front with the biking cap on.)

Melissa was a year older than me and we both attended a tiny, private elementary school in Putney, Vermont. Occasionally we both participated in theater, "in town" which happened to be Brattleboro, Vermont, about 10 miles south of Putney.

Now, this was in Vermont, mind you, and the winters there were quite similar to the one in Frozen River. It really wasn't so far away from the town the film was shot in, maybe about 3 or 4 hours south of there, but, trust me, that place requires some "hide" to survive it.

I lived closer to town than Melissa did, so occasionally we hung out together when she had rehearsals after school. She'd maybe come over to my house and we'd hang out for a while till we headed back into Brattleboro for something. I'd hardly categorize our friendship as particularly profound, I mean, it wasn't. But, I adored her and we did share an intense love of acting as well as that we both were trying to survive our own wacky history in this particular, tiny school, which, in those days, this was something an unusual thing to pull off, trust me.

A few memories I have of her from way back then:

First, there was all that flaming red hair. And then there was her stature; the maternal warmth she had for so many of us, and then there was her undeniable beauty. And, of course, there was that mysterious person behind it all.

My first memory that stands out was this one time she got in trouble for something(?) at school, I can't remember what it was, but clearly she felt it wasn't justified and blew up at the principal.

On that occasion I remember the front door to our school slamming shut and we all rushed to the windows to see what was going on, and there was Melissa striding down the front steps in the middle of a school day with the principal (who none of us really liked, anyway.) insisting she come back.

She kept on striding down the long, long steps in front of our school with all of us glued to windows to see what would happen next.

There was a long silence as she flounced down the steps. When she got to the very bottom of the long stairs, she suddenly whipped around and totally busted all of us gawking at her. When she turned to see if we were watching, we jumped back from the windows, but she was so pissed off.

I still don't know why, and it doesn't matter, but at that moment she busted all of us for intruding on her personal crises at that moment.

She screamed "FUCK! YOU!" (Not, "Fuck you!" But, "Fuck! You!") Managing to give us all, including the principal, the double finger and then shoved her arms down the sleeves of her Levi denim jacket to stride off, pissed, and proud and glorious.

God, I loved that about her, her courage to stand up for herself, like she did when she confronted our (lame) principal that year. She was terrific. She was a rock star, on my planet.

But, the best part was her consistent humility and that she was always kind and sweet. It was one of those astonishing dual things about this beautiful fiery girl: She was tough, but sweet. She was strong, but humble. She could be very articulate, but ironically she didn't often share what was going on inside her. She lived to act. She ate, breathed, slept acting. It was her salvation, I think.

I know you might have a hard time believing this, but I was kind of, well, mighty dorky in my day. But she was always there for me even when the other kids picked on me for "being weird." She couldn't stand to see the underdog get hurt.

I can't remember why I was in the BCPA Theater when she was rehearsing Paul Zindel's The Effect Of The Gamma Rays on Man In The Moon Marigolds, but I was. I remember her monologues.

During one particular rehearsal, she stood alone in a spot on the bare stage, just this girl with all this red hair and that same powerful, low voice. She barely moved when she spoke. The dust mites fell slowly in and out of her spot, twinkling down around her like, a halo in a free-fall.

And she was electrifying. I think that's the only word for what she was; "electrifying." I had goosebumps on my arms.

I don't think there was anyone else in the theater that day, just the actors and the director. Yet, she was giving as a fine a performance as I've ever seen.

And the truth was, things were not always so easy for some of us back then. And I have edited this posting down out of respect for her privacy.

But, the true story of Melissa Leo, is one as rich and complex as any character she's ever played. But, that's a story for her to tell, should she ever choose to.

But, for now -- she's nominated for Best Actress this year!!! How COOL is that?

Very.

Yeah, I want her to win.