Annette Bening recalls attending 2000 Oscars while pregnant with daughter Ella Beatty

Edward Segarra, USA TODAY
·2 min read
Annette Bening, pictured, reflected on attending the 72nd Academy Awards while she was "extremely pregnant" with daughter Ella Beatty.
Annette Bening, pictured, reflected on attending the 72nd Academy Awards while she was "extremely pregnant" with daughter Ella Beatty.

Getting an Oscar is the mother of all film honors, but Annette Bening is remembering one Oscar season when she was gearing up for the prize of parenthood.

The actress, who is nominated for best actress at the 96th Academy Awards this Sunday, recently reflected on attending an Oscars ceremony while pregnant nearly two-and-a-half decades ago.

While speaking with Savannah Guthrie on the “Today” show Tuesday, Bening was asked about the nerves that come with attending the prestigious awards ceremony, prompting the “Nyad” star to recall her appearance at the 72nd Academy Awards in 2000.

"It is exciting and nerve-wracking,” Bening told Guthrie. “It's funny you just asked me this, so one time when I was nominated I was extremely pregnant. I was just about to give birth, and I know how many years ago it was because that's my almost 24-year-old."

Bening was nominated for best actress for her role in “American Beauty” at the ceremony, which took place in March 2000. The actress gave birth to her daughter Ella Beatty, whom she shares with husband Warren Beatty, the following month.

“I remember that night and just the baby was moving so much because of the adrenaline that was coursing through my system,” Bening said. “My husband, Warren Beatty, got a big award that night, so that's one that I'm remembering."

Annette Bening, left, and husband Warren Beatty arrive to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominees luncheon in Beverly Hills, Ca., on March 13, 2000.
Annette Bening, left, and husband Warren Beatty arrive to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominees luncheon in Beverly Hills, Ca., on March 13, 2000.

The “Apples Never Fall” star also gushed about her love of motherhood. In addition to 23-year-old Ella, Bening shares three children with Warren Beatty: Stephen, 32, Benjamin, 29, and Isabel, 27.

"I wasn't a perfect mom. I think I did pretty damn good, especially for working and everything,” Bening said. “But I always, always wanted to be a mom, from when I was a little kid. Like, my mother wouldn't have more kids — maybe that was part of it?

“So, I was the kid in the neighborhood that was always babysitting and hanging out with the little ones. And it was just in my DNA."

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Annette Bening talks attending Oscars while pregnant with Ella Beatty