Rose Byrne gushes over great positive response on 'If I Had Legs I'd Kick You'
Rose Byrne is getting emotional over the recognition coming her way for her latest performance.
The 46-year-old Australian actress is drawing widespread attention for her role in the new movie If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, which opened in theaters on Oct. 10.
"It's so flattering," Byrne told USA Today when asked about the growing Oscar talk. "I feel very emotional about it."
"I've been doing this a long time, so I feel grateful to have had such an incredible opportunity with this character," she added, reflecting on her decades-long career.
Byrne, who stars as Linda, a therapist, wife, and mother to a sick child, delivers what critics are calling one of her most layered performances yet.
The film, written and directed by Mary Bronstein, follows Linda as she tries to cope with her child's mysterious illness, a missing person, and her unraveling relationship with her therapist.
The movie blends dark comedy with psychological drama, and Byrne says Bronstein's approach pushed her into new creative territory.
"It's obviously very dark and very dramatic, this film. And there's elements of horror and Lynchian elements. It defies genre in many ways, which is really exciting, but this is definitely a tightrope," she shared.
If I Had Legs I'd Kick You premiered at Sundance and earned Byrne the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance at the Berlin International Film Festival, sparking speculation that she could finally land her first Oscar nomination.
Despite her long list of accolades, including two Primetime Emmy nominations for Damages, a Critics Choice nod for Neighbors, and an Australian Academy Award for The Turning, Byrne has yet to break through with the Academy.
The Platonic and Bridesmaids star, who costars in the film alongside Conan O'Brien, Danielle Macdonald, and A$AP Rocky, says her approach to work remains rooted in humility.
"Australians are very much bred to not take ourselves too seriously but to take the work seriously," she said.
Byrne's Platonic co-star Seth Rogen previously echoed that same admiration for her, saying their chemistry was something rare.
"In film, chemistry is a mysterious thing; you never know who you're going to have good chemistry with," Rogen told The Hollywood Reporter.
"I've had great chemistry with people I don't particularly like that much. So I'm very lucky in this situation where I have chemistry with someone who I actually like."
As Oscar season nears, Byrne's heartfelt performance and humility may make If I Had Legs I'd Kick You one of the year's biggest surprises, and perhaps, finally, her moment in the spotlight.