It’s been 22 years since Jennifer Connelly graced the stage on Oscar night to accept her Best Supporting Actress award for A Beautiful Mind. She doesn’t remember much from that night because she had a bit of stage fright, which came in the middle of her breakup with then-boyfriend Josh Charles.
Connelly recalled how she felt when she heard her name announced on a recent episode of The Drew Barrymore Show. “For me, I think I [had a] complete shutdown, like, panic,” the 53-year-old actress told Drew Barrymore. “I was so nervous and overwhelmed.” She somehow managed to make it up to the Kodak Theatre steps (now known as the Dolby Theatre) and looked out “at the audience full of all those extraordinary people.” She had just “40 seconds” to thank everyone she loved as she watched the clock on the monitor click down. “And I saw it and I think I just, like, it’s just a complete shock,” she added.
The Top Gun: Maverick star was grateful her dad escorted her to the show because he “tethered” her during such an out-of-body experience. However, Connelly had been expecting Charles to escort her on Hollywood’s biggest night. They ended their three-year relationship “just days” before the ceremony after meeting on the set of Higher Learning. While neither of them ever discussed the reason why they split, the National Enquirer claimed that jealousy came into play because of her friendship with A Beautiful Mind co-star, Russell Crowe. “Even though Russell and Jennifer were nothing more than friends, her boyfriend Josh saw red when Russell presented her with a vintage car for a gift for her wonderful performance,” a source alleged. “Russell and Jennifer became good friends during the filming — and nothing more.”
However, Hollywood history fans know that it was co-star Paul Bettany whom she struck an every closer friendship with. The couple had a “whirlwind romance,” per People, and married less than a year after her split from Charles. Bettany told the media outlet, “I knew from the first moment I saw her we were meant for each other.” With 22 years of marriage under their belt and two children together, Stella, 20, and Agnes, 12, along with Connelly’s son Kai, 26, from a relationship with photographer David Dugan, it looks like their romantic path was meant to happen.
Connelly’s eventual romantic story with Bettany didn’t make her Oscars night any easier because of the sudden breakup with Charles, but as she said in her acceptance speech over two decades ago, “I believe in love… that there is nothing more important.”
Before you go, click here to see more co-star couples we’ll always wonder about.
