Melissa Leo Doesn't Do Guilty Pleasures and We Should All Follow Her Example
The shape-shifting Oscar winner—whose suspenseful new drama, Novitiate, is out October 27—can nap with the best of them and has a nickname request.
Photo: Maarten de Boer/Contributor/Getty
Best role never played:
I didn’t have the opportunity to take on parts like Juliet, or Joan of Arc, or Sister Agnes in Agnes of God when I was a young woman, and now I'm 57. To perform those roles today would be like a fairy tale.
Best pick-me-up:
A nap. That might sound counterintuitive, but it’s true. I can nap with hustle and bustle around me; I can nap quietly all by myself. It's something I've always been good at.
Best nickname:
I do wish everyone would call me Leo. It’s not that I don’t like Melissa. But the more I hear it called out, the worse it sounds. I began noticing it several years ago when you had to start giving your name with your order at coffee shops. So sometimes when people ask me now, I’ll just say "Leo." It might not be my nickname yet, but let’s see if we can get it going!
Best curse word:
"Shitballs." It actually comes from my mom, and it’s great to use when absolutely nothing has worked out: "Oh, shitballs."
Best guilty pleasure:
None. If I'm going to get an ice cream cone two or three times a week, then it's a pleasure. No guilt.
I didn’t have the opportunity to take on parts like Juliet, or Joan of Arc, or Sister Agnes in Agnes of God when I was a young woman, and now I'm 57. To perform those roles today would be like a fairy tale.
Best pick-me-up:
A nap. That might sound counterintuitive, but it’s true. I can nap with hustle and bustle around me; I can nap quietly all by myself. It's something I've always been good at.
Best nickname:
I do wish everyone would call me Leo. It’s not that I don’t like Melissa. But the more I hear it called out, the worse it sounds. I began noticing it several years ago when you had to start giving your name with your order at coffee shops. So sometimes when people ask me now, I’ll just say "Leo." It might not be my nickname yet, but let’s see if we can get it going!
Best curse word:
"Shitballs." It actually comes from my mom, and it’s great to use when absolutely nothing has worked out: "Oh, shitballs."
Best guilty pleasure:
None. If I'm going to get an ice cream cone two or three times a week, then it's a pleasure. No guilt.
NEXT STORY
