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Vera Drake Star Shines

When the Oscar nominations for best actress were announced last month, it was no surprise to see Annette Bening, Hilary Swank and Kate Winslet on the list. But art-house moviegoers were thrilled to see two lesser-known worthies — Vera Drake's Imelda Staunton and Maria Full of Grace's Catalina Sandino Moreno — instantly catapulted, if only temporarily, onto Hollywood's A-list.Unlike Moreno, a fresh-faced newcomer in her early twenties, the 49-year-old Staunton has spent years paying her dues across the pond and awaiting this level of individual recognition for her work. "Well, [Drake director] Mike Leigh and I were having Chinese takeaway in the publicist's office and I was quite surprised, I have to say, that I did get nominated," she says. "I thought I was going to get squeezed out. So I was very surprised, and then absolutely over th read more