Marisa Tomei Reminisces About Oscar

Nearly nine years after taking home a best supporting actress Oscar for her role in My Cousin Vinny, Marisa Tomei still is trying to make sense of her surprise win against such acting heavyweights as Joan Plowright and Vanessa Redgrave.

"It was definitely a good thing, but it was also a challenge," the 36-year-old actress tells TV Guide Online. "I didn't even know anyone there that night. I was like, 'Hi! Can I introduce myself?' There's a lot to learn about Hollywood. You get used to it over time... you understand the politics. I didn't know about any of that stuff."

Tomei admits she was so green at the time that she was clueless about the fundamentals of filmmaking. "I didn't know who did what on the set," she says. "I had no idea what was going on. A gaffer? I didn't know!

"I [still] don't really feel like a vet," she adds. "I have a long way to go, in terms of learning and being a better actor. But I'm not terrified all the time anymore."

And what's become of the actual Oscar statuette? "I don't really look at it too often," she says. "I have it in my house, but I put it in a place where I don't really see it. It's half-hidden behind a mirror on a dressing table. It's something I don't really notice."

After a string of flops like Only You and The Perez Family, Tomei's now co-starring in the hit film What Women Want, which grossed a record $33.6 million during its opening weekend. The film's success may give her career the shot in the arm it needs.

"I don't have as many choices as I'd like to have, but I feel very lucky that I've gotten to work," she says. "I feel luckier than most actors, but there's more things that I want."