Amy Madigan didn’t expect to be here.

Not in the thick of awards season, not making history with a 40-year gap between Oscar nominations, and certainly not doing it as the ferociously unforgettable Aunt Gladys in Zach Cregger’s horror-thriller “Weapons.”

The veteran actress returns to the Oscar spotlight four decades after her inaugural nomination for “Twice in a Lifetime” (1985), now recognized in the best supporting actress category for playing Gladys, an elderly relative whose late-film arrival in “Weapons” detonates the movie’s final act — and has left audiences shaken ever since.

“I always defer to the writers,” Madigan says. “It’s got to be on the page. It’s got to be the script.” From the moment she read Cregger’s screenplay, she recognized Gladys instantly: “I just fell in love with Aunt Gladys. From the first time she spoke, I just knew who she was.”

That instinct drove everything, including the film’s demanding physical sequences. “This is Gladys. She’s running for her life,” she says. “I can do it. I can do it.” The transformation became a talking point for viewers who didn’t recognize her at first glance — a reaction she calls “the supreme compliment.”

If this campaign has reframed Madigan for younger audiences, she’s clear-eyed about what it means and what it doesn’t. “I’m an ultra-realist, because I’ve been doing this a long time,” she says, adding, “I am on people’s radar. People are paying a lot more attention.”

But she’s blunt about where she is right now: “Right now I’m unemployed. So that’s what happens.”

In a season crowded with comeback narratives and overdue recognition, Madigan’s story lands differently. She never stopped, but finally, the industry caught back up.

Read excerpts from her interview below, edited and condensed for clarity.

You are here receiving your second Academy Award nomination 40 years after your first. You now hold the longest gap between two nominations for an actress. Your first was in 1985 for “Twice in a Lifetime.” Did you ever think you’d be back?

No. I can be honest with you. The first time around, it was a complete surprise. The whole world of how you navigate all of this was completely different. I worked with a cast — Gene Hackman, Ellen Burstyn, Ann-Margaret and Brian Dennehy — so I was just like, wow, I know these people through their work. I was very surprised. But this time around … I mean, did you think Aunt Gladys would end up here at the Oscars? No [laughs]. Not because of quality, but because of genre bias. But I’ve loved being wrong about this.

And with a Critics Choice Award under your belt, too. How did that feel?

Once again, I was in a stellar group of people. I was not expecting it. When they called my name I was like, “What?” And if anybody’s watching, I ran up there, which was kind of hilarious. But it was a delight. Critics’ work is personal, it’s very emotional, and we need it to help get the word out — to show people, no, this is a great piece of cinema. The love that’s come for Aunt Gladys was not expected.

This may be an overused term, but you are truly “unrecognizable” in the role. A number of people have said they didn’t know it was you.

A number of people have said that, and I say that is the supreme compliment. As an actor, you hope you can just go inside of yourself and the character. The look had so much to do with Aunt Gladys. It took us a while to figure it out. We did a lot of tests, put things on, took them off — but we had it at just under three hours. Compared to others like Jacob Elordi (“Frankenstein”), who I understand was in the chair nine to 11 hours. But when you have a part like that, you do it. And you need to trust the people around you.

To get the part, was this a traditional audition or something else entirely?

The people I work with said Zach Cregger was doing a new movie. I had seen “Barbarian,” which I thought was unbelievable — don’t pull that rope in the basement. So I knew Zach could really make a movie. I was told he’d like to meet for lunch. And Zach has been very open about this: On the way to lunch, he was telling himself, “Do not offer her the part. Do not offer her the part. Let’s just see what happens.” We just started talking — he was very open, volunteering personal information about his life. And after lunch, he says, “The part’s yours if you want it.” He’d seen my work over the years and knew I had the right combination of cutting someone down and being playful about it.

I have to admit something a little embarrassing. I’ve loved the Oscars my entire life, but I learned only in the past few months that you were married to Ed Harris.

That’s good, though. That’s how it should be. I stand by this notion — he should have won for “The Hours” (2002). What’s your favorite Ed performance? Well, I’m partial — I can’t be impartial. But I think “Pollock” is a great movie. Sony just remastered and recolored the whole thing. It’s so hard to make a story about an artist’s work. It’s a beautiful film. And to play Peggy Guggenheim — I was kind of like, “Ed, I’m not a Jewish woman, I don’t know.” And he goes, “No, no, you can do this.” So I worked with another prosthetic, wigs, all of that. He’s a great actor. We met doing a stage play here in Los Angeles, right on the stage. And you learn a lot about a person when you’re standing on the boards with them. There’s no equipment around you.

How has he been through this whole awards run?

When Ed got his nominations, it was such a different time. There was no real awards circuit like this. Not a ton of press. Now it’s such a different thing, and this whole enveloping process. But to answer your question: Ed is thrilled for me. He knows what it’s all about, and he knows the business side often doesn’t coincide with the artistic side. I’m very lucky that I’ve got someone watching my back.

Knowing how much you love classic cinema — if you could go back to the ’40s or ’50s and work with any of those great actors, who would you choose?

For the women, I’d love to work with Bette Davis. When you think about a young woman starting her career, doing “Of Human Bondage” — I mean, she was just such a great actress. And of course, look at the material she had. For the men, I always wanted to work with Richard Widmark or Robert Mitchum. Widmark was often the ancillary guy, except when he had that one — “Panic in the Streets” (1950) — where he was running around the city with the bubonic plague. That was a very scary movie. There was something about those films, and the cinematography knocked me out.

Being back on the circuit looks a lot different. Who’s been one of your favorite people you’ve met along the way?

Wagner Moura (“The Secret Agent”). We became cigarette buddies, and we’d go out on the platform and have a real conversation. That movie, first of all, is so necessary right now politically, given what’s going on in our country. And his performance is very understated in this dramatic way. I was very emotional watching it. The art has to be out there. I’ve never been one of those people that’s like, “Shut up and play basketball.” No, you have a platform, and now more than ever, that platform must be opened and exposed and blast out there.

Did you watch Bad Bunny and the Super Bowl halftime show?

I got to see the halftime show, which I cranked at 11, as they say. And I was just floored. It was so emotional. It was so beautiful. It just enraptured everybody. And it really did make me giggle that the people on the other side of the aisle were just so offended and flipping out about it. What’s happening with ICE, what’s happening in Minnesota, across the country, in the Middle East — things are not mutually exclusive. But I think people are paying attention here in the United States.

Looking over your career, what’s the one thing that’s part of your legacy — something that reminds people why you became an actor?

When I mentor young people, I say: If you can do something else, do it. You have to grind. You have to want this more than anything, even if that means three jobs on the side. But what always gets my heart — it’s my love for it. It’s about the work. And “the work” is a wonderful word. It’s not artsy. It’s not precious. You do the work. And that is the most exciting thing to me. And it still is.

Variety’s “Awards Circuit” podcast, hosted by Clayton Davis, Jazz Tangcay, Emily Longeretta and Michael Schneider, who also produces, is your one-stop source for lively conversations about the best in film and television. Each episode, “Awards Circuit” features interviews with top film and TV talent and creatives, discussions and debates about awards races and industry headlines, and much more. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or anywhere you download podcasts.

Fifth Season, the global film and television studio behind “Severance,” has announced that award-winning executive and producer Peter Traugott will join the company as President of Television, reporting to CEO Graham Taylor.

Additionally, current Fifth Season employees Noah Greenshner and Maggie Burkhead have expanded their roles within the television division. Greenshner will now serve as executive vice president and head of TV Creative, overseeing all creative aspects of the division under Traugott’s supervision, while Burkhead will act as senior vice president of TV development & production.

All three executives will work with the wider Fifth Season team to continue expanding the studio’s slate, collaborate with creators and production partners worldwide and build upon the studio’s existing success with the eight-time Emmy Award winning show “Severance” and the newly released Netflix hit “His & Hers.”

Fifth Season’s additional television titles include the historical epic “Chief of War,” and the upcoming John Steinbeck adaptation “East of Eden,” “American Classic,” and “The Good Daughter,” starring Emmy nominees Meghann Fahy and Rose Byrne.

Throughout his career, Traugott has overseen over 50 television series and 1,000 episodes for top platforms and networks, encompassing drama, comedy, and unscripted content. Prior to joining Fifth Season, he led Keshet Studios, the U.S. production arm of Keshet International, overseeing creative, strategic, and operational divisions. Traugott also founded TBD Entertainment, where he developed a slate of drama and comedy shows under a deal with NBCUniversal.

“This is a huge opportunity for us to add even more momentum to a television department that has been stacking hits,” said Taylor. “Peter has been a force in the business for years. He’s got a rare combination of creative taste and business sense, which can be a game-changer in a studio’s growth, and the body of work to prove it. As for Noah and Maggie, we’re, of course, deeply acquainted with their quality. They’ve been key figures in making Fifth Season what it is today, and their new roles will empower them to do even more great work. It’s a big moment for us, and we can’t wait to build the next wave of globally successful series.”

Traugott added, “Fifth Season has built a reputation for creative ambition, backing bold and distinctive series that resonate around the world. I’m thrilled to partner with Graham, Noah, Maggie, and the entire team to become a part of that. With the company’s global production infrastructure, the top-tier creator relationships they’ve cultivated, and a development slate that’s stacked with premium IP, we’re in a great spot to continue to build on the group’s success and bring to life stories that are both culturally and commercially impactful.”
 

“Wuthering Heights” production designer Suzie Davies was excited to get a call from Emerald Fennell, since she’d worked on period dramas from this era before — not to mention on Fennell’s lavish “Saltburn.”

“I thought it’d be fun,” Davies says. But Fennell had a different vision for adapting the Emily Bronte classic. Not only did she want the world built on sound stages, this was a story told through the lens how Fennell’s experienced the story as a 14-year-old. “That opened the treasure trove for me, and we could go in all different directions,” Davies says.

From building Wuthering Heights to Thrushcross Grange, and even a doll’s house, Davies was in heaven.

Here she breaks down the film’s key sets and why surfaces needed to be moist, reflective and sweaty.

Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights, which is in Yorkshire, needed a stable, an upstairs and a kitchen. Even though Davies built it on a soundstage, nature still needed to be ever-present.

“That’s why we have a courtyard of rock around the house,” Davies explains. In addition, the arch leading to the house was inspired by Gothic architecture.

Davies raised the set by two feet so she could build a drainage system. “We wanted practical effects. So there are rain rigs punched through the ceiling and there’s a tank underneath.”

She kept the colors of the Wuthering Heights interiors muted and almost bruise-like.

The idea of Wuthering Heights was for it to feel bruised and heavy with a brutalist vibe.

During her research, Davies found the Trefor granite quarry in Northern Wales, which was abandoned and near a “big brutal structure on top of a hill.” Davies says, “It’s got nothing to do with Yorkshire, but it has the essence that Emerald wanted. Once we found that, then we started sort of layering on elements of the Yorkshire vernacular, of those big tiles.” The tiles were wet and shiny. She goes on to say, “There are a lots of modern materials used in traditional ways, and traditional materials used in unconventional ways. Everything’s flipped on its side, just to make the audience feel more uncomfortable.”

Thrushcross Grange

This was the Linton family’s estate, and excessive in every way. It also presents itself as this grand luxurious place, but metaphorically is a prison for Cathy.

The Skin Room

When Cathy is introduced to her bedroom, it’s boasted that the walls are like her skin.

Again, it’s an uncomfortable moment for the character.

Davies had swatches and fabrics around her desk. She happened to have a piece of latex. “I think we used it on ‘Saltburn,’” she recalls. It was skin-toned and Davies felt there was something there.

Once she knew she was onto something, Davies asked Robbie to “send high res images of her arms and veins. We printed it. We’ve slightly accentuated her veins.” Davies adds, “We had a go at doing her belly button as well above the fireplace, but that looked a little bit too weird, believe it or not.” The images of her skin were then printed onto the fabric that’s used for the padded wall panels of the bedroom.

Davies adds that at the end, as there’s an overhead shot of Cathy on the bed as she is dying, her veins are prominent. “We printed her veins and everything into the carpet as well, just for that top shot, which is even more weird and uncomfortable.”

The Hands

Take a careful look at “Wuthering Heights” and hands are everywhere, whether it’s shots of the actors, or as part of the decor. “There’s something really sexy about what they’re up to and what’s going on,” Davies says.

For the hands above the fireplace, Davies says she took casts of the art department’s hands to make the ceiling roses in the fireplace and in the panels of the library. “We’ve got the shadow puppets that play another subconscious little story going along in on the top of the library. So they’re sort of placed everywhere in the hope that they’re little subconscious things. Some people will see them. Others won’t.”

The Dollhouse

The dollhouse was created by the Mattes and Miniatures crew. They built a 1/12th scale version of the Grange. Davies had the model built first, before building and designing the lifesize Thrushcross Grange, flipping her typical design process.

Fennell also had the idea that she wanted the Grange to reflect how Edgar liked collecting things.

In designing the Grange, Davies had a rule that everything needed to be ordered and symmetrical. “The windows are far too big. The doorways are far too big. The ceilings are really high. The ceilings are polished plaster. The floors are polished.”

Davies went to town on the garden. “We had real trees and real flowers,” so it smelled like a real garden.

Sweat

If the film looks moist and the surfaces looks reflective, that’s exactly the look Fennell and Davies were going for. “We always wet down those city streets on night shoots to make them look lovely, and we just wanted everything possible to look like it’s sweating.”

In “Wuthering Heights,” Davies and her team rigged water to drip down the rock face and into the house.

At Thrushcross Grange, Davies says, “The skin starts to sweat when she gets ill in the dining room.” She adds, “The baubles are contemporary, plastic spheres that we stuck on the wall in a Regency pattern, but they look like they’re dribbling and falling down the paneling and onto the floor.”

WIne Bottle Tower

As Cathy’s father Mr. Earnshaw continues to drink himself to death, Wuthering Heights starts to show cracks. Two wine towers feature in the kitchen to reflect Earnshaw’s state of mind.

Davies says, “Emerald said, ‘I want a mound of bottles to show, obviously, that Earnshaw is this wreck and ruin, and is drinking himself to death.’” With that directive, Davies built a tower of wine bottles that were five feet high. “She said, ‘No, ten feet high. I just want to see a wave of bottles.’” Davies and her team built in in a way that cinematographer Linus Sandgren could light through it. “The power of that scene when Martin Clunes is on the floor with those two massive green piles of mountains of booze – Everything with Emerald is ‘keep going and maximalist.’”