Anne Hathaway won the Oscar award for best supporting actress for her portrayal of the ill-fated Fantine in the musical “Les Miserables,” as Hollywood honoured the best work of 2012.
Hathaway, 30, beat rivals including Sally Field, who played the volatile wife of America’s 16th president in “Lincoln”. The award, announced at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, was the third for Universal Pictures’ “Les Miserables,” which won Academy Awards for makeup and sound mixing.
“Les Miserables” is also nominated for best picture. The film, a big-screen version of the Broadway musical, stars Hugh Jackman as reformed convict Jean Valjean and Russell Crowe as his tormentor, the policeman Javert. It was Hathaway’s second nomination.
The movie’s eight nominations also include best actor for Jackman. The play and film are based on Victor Hugo’s 19th century novel about Valjean’s quest for redemption after being sentenced to prison for stealing bread.
This is her first Oscar and second nomination.
"It came true" she says softly as she accepts her statuette.
The 30-year-old actress has been the favorite to get this throughout the awards season for her role as the consumptive, tragic prostitute Fantine (she lost about a fifth of her body weight and had all her hair cut off on camera).
She says, "Here's hoping that someday in the not too distant future the misfortunes of Fantine will only be found in stories and not in real life."
Christoph Waltz won best supporting actor Oscar for his bounty hunter role in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained.
