Amy Madigan is nominated for Critics Choice and Golden Globe awards for her memorably creepy turn in "Weapons."

This past summer, Amy Madigan created one of the most indelible horror villains in recent memory, bringing blood-curdling life to the orange-bobbed, lipstick-smeared Aunt Gladys in "Weapons."

Now, Madigan is on the fast train to her second Oscar nomination, after winning best supporting actress at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards last week and earning a supporting actress nomination from the Golden Globes on Dec. 8.

"It feels good, when you put it all in perspective of my life," Madigan tells USA TODAY shortly after learning the news of her Globes nod. "Having a part like this, I just feel grateful for it."

Madigan surprised herself being up so early for the nominations announcement. ("I went to bed not that long ago," she acknowledges with a laugh.) She was greeted by a flurry of congratulatory calls from her agent and manager, and plans to have a low-key celebration with her husband, actor Ed Harris.

"We'll probably take the dog out for a walk, which will make it a nice day," says Madigan, who's especially thrilled by the Globes nominations for "One Battle After Another," Jennifer Lawrence ("Die My Love") and Rose Byrne ("If I Had Legs I'd Kick You").

She's also still eager to see "Wicked: For Good," which was snubbed for best comedy or musical but received nods for stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande: “I’m just a film buff. The artists this year are incredible.”

Written and directed by Zach Cregger (“Barbarian”), “Weapons” follows the mysterious, late-night disappearance of 17 schoolchildren, later revealed to be orchestrated by the witchy Aunt Gladys. Madigan imbues the manipulative character with humanity, as we discover that she is terminally ill and aims to steal the kids’ life force.

Cregger initially reached out to Madigan asking to meet for lunch.

“I had seen ‘Barbarian,’ which I thought was a fantastic movie,” Madigan recalls. “Once I read the script, I just knew who Gladys was. I thought, ‘This is a great part.’ ”

The film was a box-office sensation, and Aunt Gladys memes flooded social media through the summer.

“It kind of happened instantaneously,” Madigan says. “It came out and ‘Boom!’ People were posting about Gladys and dressing up as her, so there wasn’t really any lag time. I truly was not expecting that.”

Around Halloween, she also got “a lot of pictures” of people in Gladys’ garish getup: “That was really fun for me. It was a very nice gift and a nice surprise.”

If Madigan gets an Oscar nomination next month, she’ll join the pantheon of horror icons who have been recognized by Hollywood’s highest honor, including Demi Moore (“The Substance”), Kathy Bates (“Misery”) and Sissy Spacek (“Carrie”).

Madigan netted her first Oscar nod four decades ago for the 1985 drama “Twice in a Lifetime” costarring Ann-Marget and Ellen Burstyn. With “Weapons,” she has now garnered four Globes nominations and one win, the latter being for the 1989 TV movie “Roe vs. Wade.”

She says the awards campaign trail is “very, very different than when I was coming up.” Actors are now trotted out for months of screenings, Q&As, luncheons and awards shows: “There’s a lot more people, a lot more attention, and social media stuff. The sheer volume of it, and the impact of it, is different.”

But the “Field of Dreams” actress is “very excited” to be on this ride and to still be working steadily, having also appeared in the lyrical Western “Rebuilding” alongside Josh O’Connor this fall. (“It’s such a beautiful film, and it shows the best of humanity. I’m glad that people are finding it.”)

Madigan just turned 75 in September, and she hopes that “Weapons” will show Hollywood the value of rich and complex roles for women her age. She also wants to inspire other actors to not give up on their dreams.

“It’s difficult for women in the business and it’s difficult for women when we get older,” Madigan says. “A lot of people, regardless of their age, really love acting and collaborating with other people. Just investigate all the opportunities that you have, even if they’re few and far between. Hope springs eternal in the mind of an actor!”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Weapons' star Amy Madigan thrilled by Globes nod − 'Hope springs eternal!'

Reporting by Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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