'Iris' Producer Says Thrilled at Oscar Nominations
February 12, 2002

U.S. actor Hugh Bonneville (R) and British producer Robert Fox pose as they present their film "Iris" at the 52nd Berlinale international film festival in Berlin.

BERLIN (Reuters) - The producer of "Iris," the tale of the descent of British writer Iris Murdoch into Alzheimer's disease (news - web sites), expressed delight on Monday that the film had won three Oscar nominations, joking that it deserved even more.

"I feel very excited, very pleased. It couldn't be better news. Well it could be, we could have had 10 nominations," Robert Fox told Reuters Television at the Berlin Film Festival.

"But we're very happy that we had three. They were very well deserved. I'm only sad that Hugh Bonneville didn't get one too."

Former Oscar winner Dame Judi Dench was nominated for her role as the aging Murdoch, while "Titanic" star Kate Winslet, who plays the writer as a young woman, won a nomination for best supporting actress.

Jim Broadbent, who plays Murdoch's husband John Bayley, was nominated for best supporting actor. Hugh Bonneville plays Bayley as a young man.

Fox said the nominations were credit to great teamwork.

"It is very hard to give a good performance unless you have the material on which to base everything and I think it is a terrific screenplay and I think it's beautifully directed and I think the actors give impeccable performances," he said.

"It's a team effort really, but it's thrilling that those people have been singled out."

Source: Reuters