Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer could be going home with Oscar statues come Sunday for their respective roles in “The Help,” and both ladies are attempting to stay calm as the clock ticks down to Hollywood’s most prestigious awards show.
“There’s a lot of jitters,” Viola told Access Hollywood at the Fifth Annual Women in Hollywood Pre-Oscar Party in Los Angeles on Friday.
Viola is taking the hype surrounding her moving portrayal of Aibileen Clark in stride and told Access she plans to stay focused on the bigger picture to keep her nerves at bay on Sunday morning.
“I pray. I pray and I meditate to remind me of my larger purpose in life,” she said. “It’s like they say, when you’re driving and you have blind focus, that’s when you get in accidents more.
“It’s the same thing with life,” she continued. “When you have blind focus on that gold statue [it] can get you into such a wreck in terms of your larger purpose in life. So, I pray.”
Viola’s “The Help” co-star and real-life friend Octavia Spencer said she’s “tired” from the award season, but still plans to get to get some exercise in to release stress before the big show.
“I’m gonna probably meet Viola and her husband for a workout, then have a big breakfast and then just let the day happen,” she told Access. “You have to see [the Oscars] as [just a normal day], but enjoy the entire day.
“You can’t make it something different than what it is, because if it doesn’t work out, you put energy that you can’t get back,” she added.
The 84th Academy Awards air on Sunday at 7 ET/4 PT on ABC.
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