Tommy Lee Jones avoids Oscar hysteria

By Randee Dawn

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Though his role as the taciturn sheriff in "No Country for Old Men" garnered him a wider audience, Tommy Lee Jones' other 2007 role -- as a concerned parent in the Iraq war-themed drama "In the Valley of Elah" -- landed him his third Oscar nomination.

An Oscar winner for his supporting role in "The Fugitive," Jones will be at the Academy Awards on Sunday, albeit a little begrudgingly.

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: YOU'VE BEEN ON BOTH SIDES OF THE OSCAR NOMINATION BEFORE, WITH ONE WIN AND ONE LOSS. HOW HEAVILY INVESTED DO YOU GET IN THE WHOLE POST-NOMINATION PROCESS?

Tommy Lee Jones: Very slightly. I don't live in Southern California, and I spend most of my time in places where people are only vaguely aware of the process. It doesn't weigh on my mind a great much. It doesn't do you any good to worry about these things or even think about them very much; they are gonna go the way they go. If I were to assess my chances of winning, I would say they are quite slim.

THR: DO YOU THINK YOU MIGHT HAVE HAD A DIFFERENT CHANCE IF YOUR NOMINATION HAD BEEN FOR THE ALREADY AWARDS-HEAVY "NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN?"

Jones: I don't know. The way the indicators are going, or what some entertainment journalists claim are indicators, the winners are a kind of foregone conclusion.

THR: SO WILL YOU ATTEND?

Jones: I think I am contractually obligated to show up.

THR: AFTER YOUR "FUGITIVE" WIN, DID YOU FIND THINGS PARTICULARLY CHANGED FOR YOU, CAREER-WISE?

Jones: Well, yeah, it was awfully good for business. Certainly was. And of course it was good for your self-esteem. All actors want to be approved of. And that's a pretty good sign that someone's approving of you.

THR: YOU'VE GOTTEN A LOT OF LAW-ENFORCEMENT ROLES SINCE THEN. DID YOU FIND THAT PRODUCERS ONLY WANTED YOU TO PLAY THAT SORT OF ROLE OVER AND OVER AGAIN?

Jones: Such a thing is inevitable, but it's not hard to resist. You are always making an effort not to repeat yourself, if you can.

THR: WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER SPECIFICALLY ABOUT WORKING ON "IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH?"

Jones: I remember that Albuquerque (where much of "Elah" was filmed) is a very noisy city. If you're shooting on the streets or even motel rooms, sound becomes a terrific problem, because you've got these crows and crowing roosters, airplanes flying over at a low level, big trucks zooming by, kids playing in the yard, guys changing tires with pneumatic tools, radios playing music across the neighborhood. It's a vital and lovely place but very difficult to shoot a film there.

THR: DID YOU PREPARE FOR "ELAH," OR DO YOU IN GENERAL, HAVE ANY PARTICULAR WAY OF PREPARING FOR YOUR ROLES?