Amy Madigan, 75, won the Oscar for best supporting actress for her role in Zach Cregger's horror film “The Gun.” During her acceptance speech, she admitted that she had been waiting 40 years for the award.
“The Gun” is a brilliant horror film by Zach Cregger, which tells a mystical story about the disappearance of children in a small town in Pennsylvania. One day, 17 children from the class of teacher Justine Gandy (Julia Garner) do not show up for school. At night, they suddenly left their homes and disappeared. Only one student did not go with them – Alex Lilly. Then the viewer is waiting for many unexpected things: police corruption, witchcraft, bloody religious rituals, as well as humor, eccentricity and even comedy.
In the film, which features a strong cast—starring Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, and Alden Ehrenreich—Amy Madigan stands out as a quirky nanny in a red wig and bright lipstick who (spoiler alert!) turns out to be a child-stealing witch.
The film “Weapons” was released in 2025 and instantly won over viewers and critics. On IMDb, its rating is 7.9 out of 10, and critics call it a brilliant example of multi-genre horror, combining detective, intellectual drama, psychological thriller and comedy. The main bonus is the bright acting: nervous, unstable teacher Justine Gundy played by Julia Garner, persistent father Archer Graf, who is looking for his child, played by Josh Brolin, and creepy Gladys, played by the characteristic Amy Madigan.
Amy Madigan is 75 years old and was last nominated for an Oscar in 1986. During her acceptance speech, holding her Oscar statuette, the actress was direct and charmed the audience with her humor. “This is just wonderful!” she exclaimed from the stage, after which she burst into laughter – very similar to the laugh for which her character is famous. “As you can see, I'm a little confused,” the actress added, before warmly recalling the other nominees. “When I went to all these events during the promotion of “Arms”, I often felt alone. But my colleagues from “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another” would just come up to me, hug me and say: “Come to us!” ”
At the end of her speech, Madigan thanked the person who had been there for her all these years – her husband, four-time Oscar nominee Ed Harris, with whom she has been together for 40 years.
This is Madigan's first Academy Award nomination in a very long time. She was last nominated 40 years ago, in the same category, for her role in the film “Twice in a Lifetime” (1985). Madigan has over 30 films to her credit, but she describes herself as an actress of supporting roles. She is known for her work in the films and TV series “Streets of Fire” (1984), “Uncle Buck” (1989), “Field of Miracles” (1989), “The Dark Half” (1993), “Carnival” (2003–2005), “Goodbye, Baby, Goodbye” (2007), “Grey's Anatomy” (2008–2009), “Border” (2010–2011) and “The Hunt”.
In films, she often plays distinctive characters, not afraid to be funny and awkward. At the same time, she has worked in theater for many years: in particular, she plays in plays by Tennessee Williams and Shakespeare, and has repeatedly become a laureate of theater awards.
Interestingly, Madigan's last major screen roles were in the 2010s, notably in J.J. Abrams' popular sci-fi series “Borderlands.” She says that after she turned 55, she began to receive fewer offers, which is common for many women her age. This continued until 2025, when “Weapons” was released.
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Cragger's film grossed over $268 million worldwide against a $38 million budget, and her Gladys instantly became an icon of horror films – critics call her the “secret weapon” of the film. Her eccentric and at the same time sinister Aunt Gladys instantly fell into the hearts of the audience – the character has already given rise to many memes and Halloween costumes. The film is called the revival of Madigan's career: in this role she fully demonstrated her talent as a character actress. A special pleasure for the 75-year-old actress was her external transformation – fake wrinkles and teeth, an exalted wig, makeup and glasses.
“Gladys looks great,” the actress said in an interview. “She's very happy with her appearance. She loves her wardrobe. She loves herself. So there's a certain confidence that you walk into a room with. I've never walked into a room with that much confidence in my life, by the way.”
Ahead of the release of “Guns,” Amy Madigan gave an interview in which she shared her feelings about how her profession and society's expectations of actors are changing today. “It's so different now. When I got nominated for “Twice in a Lifetime,” I just said, “Oh, that's great,” and I had to go out and buy a dress. I didn't have a stylist or anything like that. Now everyone has a stylist, everyone has their own team… And everyone has a podcast, you know? I mean, it's nice when people appreciate your work, but all this hype annoys me a little. Let's keep it simple.”