- Melissa Leo says winning her Oscar “was not good for me or my career.”
- She wants to play posh, period roles and is tired of being typecast as “older, nasty women.”
- Leo enjoys knitting and pottery, and says a good nap is her best pick-me-up.
- Her new film The Knife and a role in King Ivory are currently available on digital platforms.
Melissa Leo reflects on fame and typecasting
Oscar-winning actor Melissa Leo told readers she never dreamed of an Academy Award — and that winning one ultimately didn’t help her career. Speaking in a wide-ranging interview, Leo said she had a stronger run of work before the win and has since felt boxed into older, negative roles after her breakout in The Fighter.
“I didn’t want it,” she says
Leo recounted the moment she accepted the Oscar: meeting Kirk Douglas onstage, the shock of seeing so many industry faces in the Dolby Theatre, and a regretted expletive that slipped out during her speech. She added bluntly: “Winning an Oscar has not been good for me or my career. I didn’t dream of it, I never wanted it, and I had a much better career before I won.”
Range, roles and ambition
The actor stressed that she chooses work the way it chooses her, and she values range — playing both “goodies and baddies.” But Leo said that after The Fighter many of the offers she received were for older, unflattering characters, which she no longer wants to do.
She also expressed a strong desire to play posh period parts: “I’d love to play a glorious, kind, benevolent queen,” she said, noting an appetite for fancy costumes and different historical settings.
Recent and upcoming projects
Leo highlighted her lead turn in The Knife, where she plays a detective who is neither purely good nor bad. She also mentioned a smaller role in King Ivory, a film that examines the fentanyl crisis, and recommended lesser-known works such as Francine and Racing Daylight as projects she’s proud of.
Off-screen life: crafts and naps
Outside acting, Leo has shifted from knitting to pottery in recent years. She described knitting simple blanket squares in the past and now enjoys working at a local pottery studio.
On set, Leo admitted she’s not above sneaking a nap: “If somebody finds me napping, I’m proud of myself because I’ve been able to do the thing any doctor will tell you: get more rest.”
On-screen memories
She reminisced about early TV work on shows such as Homicide: Life on the Street and The Young Riders, and explained why she refused to stage a kissing scene with Denzel Washington in The Equalizer films — it would have been inappropriate for her character, who had been his mentor in the story.
The Knife is available on digital platforms. Melissa Leo’s candid interview underscores an uncommon view from a celebrated actor: awards don’t always mean better work.
Image Referance: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jan/15/melissa-leo-winning-an-oscar-was-not-good-for-me-or-my-career