"Winter's Bone" tells the story of a poor Missouri family desperately trying to get by. Jennifer Lawrence plays a strong 17-year-old who is clearly the glue that holds her family together after her father disappears.
John Hawkes is her sometimes very scary uncle.
These days, joyful is a good word to describe how these first-time Oscar nominees are feeling.
"It's unbelievable," said Lawrence. "It's so nice and great and cool. It hasn't really -- it doesn't really feel differently personally. But professionally, it's the greatest thing that's ever happened to me."
"Nomination is obviously a huge, huge thing for any actor," said Hawkes. "For someone who prides themselves in kind of trying to disappear into characters and have people not quite know who you are, it's a risky proposition, but it's worth it."
Hawkes has been working in Hollywood for 25 years now. His long resume includes "The Perfect Storm," acting opposite then future Oscar-winner George Clooney.
What's next on that resume?
"I'm just trying to find what I've always tried to find, which is a really wonderful story, a really wonderful part in that story and really wonderful storytellers around me helping to tell that story," said Hawkes. "So, you know, i'm just trying to find another great role."
Lawrence already has several irons in the fire, including a role in the next "X-Men" movie. It's a great time in her young life, but even with all the excitement, she's trying to stay grounded.
"I am so incredibly grateful but, you know, I think these are the times that you realize just how important your family and your friends are because, you know, the phone will stop ringing eventually," said Lawrence. "And you guys won't care about what I have to say, eventually. But they will. And I think it's times like these that I've really realized that."
