Kerry Condon is tipped to pick up the Best Supporting Actress gong at tonight’s ceremony – but her introduction to Hollywood was a lot less glittering.
She told how the first place she stayed in LA was a cheap motel that she’d seen in film True Romance – and which the police raided two days later.
Speaking at the Oscar Wilde Awards this week she revealed: “I stayed at the Safari Inn on Sunset because it was in the movie True Romance and it was all I could afford.
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“And two days later, the police did a raid on the room down the hall. And I remember being like: ‘Oh, that’s so cool’.” The Banshees of Inisherin star, 40, also opened up about partying with Heath Ledger after they starred together in Australian film Ed Kelly, admitting she spent days at his open house in LA.
She went on: “After that shoot, in that young way, where you don’t want an experience to end, we all headed to LA together.
“I remember Heath, his smile, his open house in Los Feliz. Being underage and driving with a fake license and smoking Camel Lights.”
Earlier on the red carpet, Kerry said she had a “blueprint” speech, “because there are people I do not want to forget”.
That list may well include Banshees co-star Colin Farrell, who she is thought to have enjoyed a fling with in the past.
The pair starred in Ballykissangel and later in the Irish film Intermission where Colin’s character punched a waitress, played by Kerry, in the face.
Colin did nothing to dampen rumours when he appeared on the Late, Late Show, telling host James Corden how the pair watched the Oscars nominations announcement.
He said: “Five in the morning, she was in her pyjamas, I opened the door, in she came, kettle came on, cups of tea, box of Ferrero Rocher and that was it.” He went on to describe the making of the film as “beautiful” and “a really solid emotional experience,” adding: “That’s why this stuff is magic”.
Kerry has emerged as the Irish favourite to take home an Oscar with bookies slashing her odds to 2/1 for her role as Siobhan in the comedy.
Irish talent has a record 14 nominations this year including acting nods for Condon, Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Barry Keoghan and Paul Mescal.
If Keoghan or Gleeson – both nominated for Banshees – win best supporting actor it will be the second time an Irish person has won it.
The first was Barry Fitzgerald in 1945 for Going My Way.
If Condon wins, she would be the second Irish person to pick up Best Supporting Actress, after Brenda Fricker’s success in 1990 for My Left Foot.
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