The 83rd-annual Academy Awards are less than a week away and the excitement is palpable. The awards, that honour the crème de la crème of Hollywood, have many myths attached to them. One of these is the ‘Best Actress Oscar Curse’.
While winning a best actress Oscar may be a blessing for an actors’ career, it may be a curse for her marriage. According to a research by University of Toronto and Carnegie Mellon University, Oscar wins are associated with a great risk of divorce for Best Actress winners.
So, is there such a thing as ‘Best Actress Oscar Curse? Or is it just a long list of unfortunate coincidences? We take a look at five Best Actress Oscar winners in the recent past, who have fallen under the ‘Oscar curse’.
2010
Sandra Bullock
Sandra swept most awards for her role in the critically acclaim-ed film, The Blind Side. However, less than a week after winning the Oscar, Sandra’s then-hubby Jesse James’ affair with tattoo artist Michelle McGee made headlines. The five-year-long marriage ended in divorce.
2009
Kate Winslet
The Titanic actor won an Oscar for her portrayal of a former Nazi death camp guard in The Reader. But the dreaded Oscar jinx fell on her seven-year-old marriage to director Sam Mendes and the two got divorced later that year.
2006
Reese Witherspon
After winning Oscar for Walk The Line, Reese thanked her then-hubby Ryan Philippe in her speech, while Ryan looked on lovingly. However, the seven-year marriage ended in divorce, after Philippe took up with Australian actor Abbie Cornish.
2005
Hillary Swank
Hillary survived the jinx after her first Oscar win for Boys Don’t Cry in 2001. But the second Oscar for Million Dollar Baby sounded the death knell for her marriage of almost 10 years to actor Chad Lowe, and the couple split soon after.
2002
Halle Berry
The former model won an Oscar for Monster’s Ball. However, hubby Eric Benet went to sex addiction rehab to cope with his cheating, soon after her win. The couple got divorced in the following year.
2005
Hillary Swank
Hillary survived the jinx after her first Oscar win for Boys Don’t Cry in 2001. But the second Oscar for Million Dollar Baby sounded the death knell for her marriage of almost 10 years to actor Chad Lowe, and the couple split soon after.2002
Halle Berry
The former model won an Oscar for Monster’s Ball. However, hubby Eric Benet went to sex addiction rehab to cope with his cheating, soon after her win. The couple got divorced in the following year.
The possible victims of 2011?
Natalie Portman
Former child star, Natalie Portman is the frontrunner in the Best Actress category for her portrayal of an obsessed ballerina in in The Black Swan. She recently got engaged to Benjamin Millepied and is expecting her first baby.
Nicole Kidman
The actor has been nominated for The Rabbit Hole. She won her first Oscar for The Hours in 2003. But by then she had already separated from Tom Cruise after 10 years of marriage. The actor is now married to Country singer Keith Urban.