14 DAY TRIAL // “Avatar” and underdog “The Hurt Locker” are the two favorites for this year’s Academy Awards, set to take place on March 7. James Cameron’s alien vs. people saga has garnered no less than 9 nominations but, according to star Michelle Rodriguez, she had little say in the film’s critical success, as the Mirror can confirm.
Consequently, she won’t be attending the Oscar awards. The upside to that is that she, unlike many other female stars, will not be spending the days leading up to the awards ceremony wondering about what dress to wear. Another advantage for Rodriguez is that, this way, she will avoid the red carpet frenzy and the immense media attention that comes with it. Still, that’s not to say that she will not share this special moment with the people who have made it possible for “Avatar” to be such a hit – only that it will be afterwards, after it wins.
“Noooo, because that’s a tough ticket!” Michelle says when asked if she has decided about what dress she’ll wear on Oscars night. “I think that’s for the guys who put most time into the project, that's for the lead cast that was there for four years busting their [expletive], all the special effects guys, the editors involved. James Cameron, the production team, let them go to the forefront and I’ll go celebrate afterwards, at all the parties I’ll be there to hug them and support!” the actress adds.
When asked if she was in any way surprised to hear that “Avatar,” a film some industry insiders and analysts were very skeptic about before the official release, Rodriguez says she saw that coming many miles away. After all, Cameron is never the guy who’d get into something this big unless he’s certain of victory. “I kind of knew that was going to happen, when you work with such focused individuals you kind of have an idea what you’re in for,” she says.
James Cameron, though, is not as convinced as Rodriguez about “Avatar’s” odds of winning the big Oscar – at least as far as the Best Director statuette is concerned. In a recent interview, Cameron said that, while he’d hate to lose, he would rather he lost to ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow, who’s in the running with “The Hurt Locker.”