Vanessa Kirby on feeling ‘shaky’ after Oscar nomination and attending virtual ceremonies in her pyjamas

Vanessa Kirby in Porter Magazine
Toby Coulson/Porter/ NET-A-PORTER.COM

Vanessa Kirby has revealed she felt “shaky” after receiving her first Oscar nomination ahead of this year’s Academy Awards - while lifting the lid on attending “Zoom ceremonies” in her pyjamas while eating chocolate.

The 32-year-old star is nominated for Pieces of a Woman - about a first-time-mother who loses her child during a homebirth.

Although she has won a BAFTA and been nominated for an Emmy for portraying Princess Margaret in the first seasons of Netflix drama The Crown, this is her first Oscar nomination.

In an interview with NET-A-PORTER’s digital title, Porter, the London star described being told about the career highlight - and spending the night talking about the news with her sister.

“I heard the news and I was so shaky, and then I just got to hold my sister’s hand all night and talk to my best friends,” she said. “I got to experience it from such a calm place and I’m just feeling deeply grateful.”

Kirby has already attended the Golden Globes - where she was nominated for Best Actress - in a virtual ceremony and will attend the BAFTAs and the Oscars in coming weeks.

Kirby has discussed being nominated for an Oscar for Pieces of a Woman
Toby Coulson/Porter/ NET-A-PORTER.COM

She described what it’s like to attend a virtual ceremony, saying: “You do these Zooms of the ceremonies – they’re usually at like 4am here because it’s LA time – and I drag my sister onto screen with me and we sit there and giggle, and they come to you and you clap. Then the computer closes, and we eat a bar of chocolate at 5am, watching some random TV, laughing in our pajamas.”

The star also spoke about the devastating impact the past year had had on the film industry and how she was unsure if Pieces of a Woman - arguably her most acclaimed to date - would get made.

She also spoke about working with neonatal death charirites and shadowing a midwife for the harrowing role of a woman who loses her first born
Toby Coulson/Porter/ NET-A-PORTER.COM

“Honestly, I didn’t know if the films would ever come out,” she said.

“Cinemas were closed and neither of them were with Netflix or any distributor. It was five months of absolutely nothing. I wasn’t attached to any other jobs, so it wasn’t like I was preparing for anything. I was in equal parts a 13-year-old and a retiree.”

The star also spoke about shadowing a midwife and working with neonatal death charities - including Sands - to prepare for the role of Martha in Pieces of a Woman.

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Toby Coulson/Porter/ NET-A-PORTER.COM

She said the experience had a profound impact on her. “I notice now, I’m so acutely sensitive to other people’s pain, much more than I ever have been. I can read it more; I can see it more and if I see it, I know how to stand beside it and hold space for it.”

She said she witnessed a woman giving birth while shadowing a midwife. “It was the best afternoon of my life, I would say. I hope I get to do it one day.”

To see the full interview, read PORTER here

Or download the NET-A-PORTER app for iPhone, iPad and Android. Search for NET-A-PORTER on the App Store and Google Play

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