Amy Madigan reflects on Oscar nomination for 'Weapons,' 40 years after her 1st nomination

ByGeorge Pennacchio OTRC logo

Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Amy Madigan reflects on Oscar nomination for 'Weapons'

LOS ANGELES -- Amy Madigan will soon walk into the Oscars as a two-time nominee, this time for her work as Aunt Gladys in the scary movie, "Weapons."

Her first nomination came 40 years ago and is proving life imitates art. The title of that movie was "Twice in a Lifetime."

When Madigan walked the Oscar red carpet back in 1986, she said, "It was much smaller. It wasn't all of this. There was no social media. There were no podcasts. There was no this and no that." Now, all these years later, she says it's a whole different animal.

She is back in the Oscar spotlight again, this time for playing the creepy, mysterious and interesting character Aunt Gladys in the scary horror film, "Weapons."

"Aunt Gladys brought me to the Oscars so that's pretty interesting. Who would have thought?" she said. Madigan also noted, "It's kind of great because it's really nice that people understand that the genre of horror is very serious filmmaking."

Good old Aunt Gladys is a force in "Weapons." And the character has kind of found a home in pop culture.

"People are in love with Aunt Gladys," Madigan said. In fact, Madigan admits she's gotten a lot of love from the show biz world for her performance in "Weapons."

"It's really overwhelming. I'll be honest with you," she said. "It's true. People saying, you know, 'We see you. We really see, acknowledge your work. We really enjoy it,' you know? So that's a great feeling," she said.

As for the actual Oscar competition, Madigan says all of the women in her category turn in performances she calls stunning. So, when it comes to winning, what does she think?

"If it happens, that would be really great. If doesn't happen, that's fine. I'll have my family with me," she said.

"Weapons" is streaming now on several platforms.

FULL LIST: See the full list of nominees for the 2026 Oscars