Tony Earnshaw: Winslet was right to go over the top – winning an Emmy is a big deal

Ever won an Oscar in front of a watching audience of billions and cried so hard you hyperventilated? Nope, me neither. And the point is that very few of us ordinary mortals will ever get to experience the intense high of being crowned king or queen of Hollywood. I enjoy the Oscars. I used to love the ceremony and religiously stay awake to soak up the entire atmosphere. Latterly, age and two children have stopped all of that. Now I catch the highlights over breakfast.
By The Newsroom
Published 23rd Sep 2011, 12:36 BST

One of the highlights of the highlights is second-guessing who will go to pieces if they win. And, unlike so many of the watching hordes, I don’t get irritated when a movie star loses poise, composure and all sense of decorum by gushing madly, thanking their pool cleaner and limo driver and sobbing into the microphone.

Let’s be honest: winning an Oscar is a life-changing moment. Temporarily it makes the recipient one of the most sought-after, heralded and highly-paid performers on the planet. Not everyone can quip like Colin Firth (“I think my career has just peaked...”) or be effortlessly cool like Jack Nicholson, who skipped onto the stage to collect his award for As Good as it Gets in 1997.

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There have been several moments of Oscar hysteria. We all know the guilty parties. Cue Sally Field yelling “You like me!” on winning the best actress gong for Places in the Heart. Or Gwyneth Paltrow dribbling and melting as she accepted her shiny golden man for Shakespeare in Love.

Cuba Gooding Jr did his bit for earnestness when he won best supporting actor for Jerry Maguire. And then Jack Palance did it differently, performing one-arm push-ups after first insulting host Billy Crystal, his co-star in City Slickers. The Oscar speech is an art form. And it’s not just the Oscars. Throw in any major international awards ceremony that involves nervous, keyed-up actors and you get a meltdown. It’s guaranteed. What’s more, it’s okay to gush. Actors are creatures of emotion and passion. They work hard to deliver a plausible portrait. Can we really blame them for being a tad overwhelmed if they win? I say not.

Take Kate Winslet. She was a tearful wreck when she won a Golden Globe for Revolutionary Road two years ago. And this week she gave another gleefully OTT performance when she won an Emmy for her role as ’40s mum Mildred Pierce. Her speech has been widely mocked. But why? She hasn’t won the ladies’ league darts trophy at the Dog and Duck. She’s won an Emmy. It’s a Big Deal. If it was me I’d be vibrating in my boots. And at least she – and Field and Paltrow and Halle Berry and Charlize Theron – didn’t smugly pull out a pre-prepared number. She spoke from the heart, honestly and with genuine joy. We should remember that next time we witness a similar display. And I hope I can be similarly spontaneous when I win mine...

Related topics:Kate WinsletGwyneth PaltrowOscars