Rooney Mara may be the only person in Los Angeles who had genuinely not realized that it was Oscar week.
“I just finished shooting a film two days ago and landed here last night,” the Academy Award-nominated actress and activist told us on Wednesday at the Oxfam benefit dinner she hosted in West Hollywood alongside Vanity Fair and Barney’s New York. “I don’t know where I was this morning but they were like, ‘It’s Oscar week.’ I was like, ‘Oh my god, I totally forgot.’”
Mara had been in Ireland filming Jim Sheridan’s The Secret Scripture, a drama centering on a mental patient who writes a memoir about her life experiences. And even with her busy schedule, she had seen “almost all of” the year’s Oscar-nominated films. “But when you’re not in [the awards-season hoopla], you kind of forget about the timing.”
Regardless of what week it was in Los Angeles, the actress was more than happy to join Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Graydon Carter, Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Patricia Arquette, Elizabeth Olsen, Mitch Glazer, Kelly Lynch, Suki Waterhouse, and Moby in supporting an organization so close to her heart.
“I think I’ve been working with Oxfam for three years now,” Mara told us inside a bungalow at the Chateau Marmont. “I’ve been traveling since I was 17 and I’ve been traveling in Africa since I was about 21. During my first trip with Oxfam we went to South Sudan and a few other places, but I just fell in love with South Sudan. Each and every time I’ve been more and more blown away by Oxfam and the work they do.” (Last month, Mara shared a photo diary about her most recent trip to the globe’s youngest country with VanityFair.com.)
Her activism is all the more impressive considering her busy filming schedule, with four movies due in theaters in 2015, including Joe Wright’s Peter Pan interpretation and a still-untitled Terrence Malick film in which she co-stars alongside Ryan Gosling.
Speaking about her experience with Malick, the filmmaker infamous for cutting out actors from his projects in post-production, Mara said, “He was great. You know, he was mad as a hatter but he’s like a real artist and it’s a huge honor to work with him. It’s a once in a lifetime experience and I loved it.” And as for Gosling: “Ryan’s great. He’s everything you’d think he would be.”
Outside the bungalow, we spoke to Mitch Glazer and Kelly Lynch, two awards-season vets who have been to nearly every Vanity Fair Oscar party, and were already anticipating this Sunday’s.
“One thing that Graydon does so well is appreciate the history of Hollywood,” Glazer told us about his annual blow-out. “It’s not just who has a movie out this year . . .”
“Or who is the sparkliest,” Lynch chimed in.
“You really end up with the legends,” Glazer continued. “Tony Curtis and Kirk Douglas and Billy Wilder and Bob Evans, giants that I swear, you would never see out unless it was for a party. If you’re a fan of movies, as Graydon is, to walk into that party is like hall of fame stuff.”
Related: Rooney Mara’s Stirring South Sudan Photo Diary
