Minnie Driver’s mom, Gaynor Churchward, had some advice for her daughter at her first Academy Awards in 1998.
During an appearance on Thursday’s episode Show Jennifer HudsonDriver, 54, was shown a photo of herself at her first Oscars, wearing a ruby-red Halston gown that she teamed with a matching scarf.
While talking about the ceremony, the actress then saw her late mom, who died in March 2021, in the background of the photo.
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“Oh my god, that’s my mom in the background. You know what’s crazy? It’s the anniversary of her death and I’m so happy to see that she’s here on the show with me,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes.
She went on to tell Hudson about posing on the red carpet: “Honestly, at that point I was heartbroken and I was scared. I lost too much weight before I went to the Oscars. The dress fell down and at that point I had this wrap and I I just pulled the wrap around myself and kind of kept smiling.”
Minnie Driver poses at the 1998 Academy Awards with her late mother Gaynor Churchward in the background.
KMazur/WireImage
“My mom knew what was going to happen, and she was smiling, but she was literally saying ‘Don’t drop your scarf, don’t drop it!'” added Driver, revealing her mom’s advice.
Driver described to Hudson how it was an emotional time for her when she attended the Oscars in 1998, as she had recently split from ex-boyfriend Matt Damon, 53. Damon was also her co-star in the film Good Will Huntingthe film for which she was nominated.
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Minnie Driver attends the 1998 Vanity Fair Oscar Party.
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That year, Speechless The star was nominated in the category of best supporting actress for her role as Skylar in Good Will Hunting.
She recalled attending the star-studded ceremony for the first time: “Crikey, I was so terrified. It reminds me of a movie Gladiator when he enters the Colosseum… the noise, the sound, the light, everything. The most exciting, most amazing moment, but super super overwhelming.”
“I remember always holding on to my mom and dad, who came with me, and my sister, and just trying to breathe. It was a blur, I have to say,” Driver admitted.
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