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Quvenzhane Wallis captures Oscar's heart as youngest nominee in history for 'Beasts of the Southern Wild'
She's making Oscar history. Quvenzhane Wallis, at just nine years old, is the youngest person ever nominated for an Academy Award for best actress. Her role of "Hushpuppy" in the movie "Beasts of the Southern Wild" tells the story of a little girl and her ailing father trying to survive in the Louisiana Bayou.
Quvenzhane Wallis talks with Soledad on "Starting Point" this morning, and asks her what it's like to be part of the Oscar buzz.
Wallis says she was very excited when she heard about the nomination.
"I was half asleep" when the nominations were released, she says. "So nothing reacted on the outside, but in the inside, I was doing cartwheels, back flips, and these are some things I can't even do."
When it comes to winning Oscar gold, Wallis shows a striking maturity.
"It's just not about winning. It's about being there and being nominated. It's not about trying to win the award. It's having the pride enough to be nominated and being in the history book and being nominated or just being nominated. Everything is great, what you have. Whatever you win, that's great too," she says.
As for her future projects, she says she just completed three other films. She also tells Soledad that when she grows up, she hopes to be an actor and a dentist.
See more from the interview in the clip above.
Have you seen "Beasts of the Southern Wild"? What did you think of Wallis's performance?
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I thought she was adorable in the movie. we really enjoyed it and saw it couple mos ago.
Love this young lady! You go Nadzi!
What a lady she is! A real lady. No pretense. Gotta admire her for that alone.
She is an phenomenal actress!
What a sweet little girl! I am so proud of her for being nominated for such a prestigious award! Congrats to you, Quvenzhane!
I loved watching this interview because Quvenzhane clearly doesn't play those games which talk show hosts and interviewers play, so we get to see her answering straight to this falsely perky person! I hope she can always hold onto her straight-forward direct personality that came through even when she was so young in Beasts of the Southern Wild.
Great story Soledad! I will certainly be rooting for Quvenzhane as well.
Congratulations Quvenzhane Wallis! Truely inspiring.
She is absolutely adorable...haven't seen the movie ,but now I must. Have fell in love with this sweet girl