Best Actor nominee Jesse Eisenberg ("The Social Network")

I did have a cynical attitude toward Facebook. Initially I viewed it as something that teenagers would use. But then, getting into the head of this guy who was excited exclusively by social networking, I gained a real appreciation with how we're able to connect in this way.

Best Actress nominee Natalie Portman ("Black Swan")

Darren Aronofsky is very specific. He really knows visually and technically what he wants his story to be, but he also encourages the actors to explore while you're working. So this was one of my favorite experiences with a director, because he really pushed me to try different things all the time.

next >

< previous

James Franco, Best Actor nominee (“127 Hours")

This is often presented as a story of great heroism, but Danny Boyle wanted to show that, possibly, we're all capable of doing what Aron Rolston did. This is not a story of isolation, but it’s about our connections to the outside world.