Tatum O’Neal is enshrined in Oscar history as the youngest-ever winner, taking best supporting actress in 1974 for her work in Peter Bogdanovich‘s Paper Moon opposite her father, Ryan O’Neal.
Q&A: Tatum O’Neal Remembers Her First Oscars Night, Shares Advice for Jennifer Lawrence
But her acclaimed debut role wasn’t all fun and games. The actress, who won when she was 10 and was just 8 when shooting began, tells The Hollywood Reporter she often had to do “take after take” to get her lines right.
“So most of the people on the set hated me, pretty much,” she says. “We did a ton of night scenes, and there were no laws to say how late a kid could work, and I worked all night, ever night. I wouldn’t sleep. But I guess they knew they were getting something good.”
O’Neal also says she didn’t grasp the full significance of her win until she was grown.
PHOTOS: Actors Who Scored Oscar Nominations With Film Debuts
“As an adult actor, and seeing the work that you put into what you do, and seeing what it means to get this honor, is far different than being a child. I was very amused and I thought it just was very fun, and kind of long,” she says of the ceremony. “I learned much later how meaningful [an Oscar] is and how lucky I am to have it.”
The actress has some advice for young Oscar winners such as Jennifer Lawrence, who won last year at 22.
“Really, it all depends on the family. If your family is solid, you’re going to be fine,” she says. “I didn’t put all my eggs in one basket — that can jam you up. You can think, “I have this Oscar, I should get this or that.” But sometimes it doesn’t happen.”
For more from O’Neal, read THR’s Q&A with the actress, and find more from the Oscars issue here.
