The third time was a charm for Renee Zellweger, who capitalized on her third straight Oscar nomination by picking up the best supporting actress statuette for her role in "Cold Mountain."

"I didn't think, 'Finally,"' Zellweger said backstage of her three-year wait following noms for "Bridget Jones's Diary" and "Chicago."

"I still don't know what I thought. I'm a little overwhelmed; the invitation alone is overwhelming."

Her dowdy looks in the Anthony Minghella film might have underwhelmed audiences who were used to the glamour girl from "Chicago," but Zellweger likes it that way.

"It's what interests me most, when you change yourself and the more removed the character is from your own experiences," she said. "As an audience member and someone who likes to watch films, I love that. It's a wonderful thing when you can get lost and forget who the person is and follow the character."

Best supporting actor winner Tim Robbins said that at this time last year, he had not even dreamed of winning an Oscar "because of the negative things that were written about me and (partner Susan Sarandon) for opposing the war."

But Robbins was impressed that Academy members didn't bring that sentiment into the voting process. "I'm sure that many who voted didn't agree with my politics, (but) they didn't bring this divisive stuff into it," he said. "I'm humbled and moved by it."

As for what he'll do with his statuette, considering that Sarandon has one as well, Robbins said, "We're going to get them in a little room, dim the lights, light some candles and see what happens."

"I feel like I'm getting auctioned off," best original screenplay winner Sofia Coppola said upon arriving backstage to the hungry crowd of journalists with number cards in the air.

The first bidder asked what it felt like to make history again, not only as the first American woman to be nominated for best director but also to make her family the second family to have three generations of Oscar winners.

"I was so happy to look over at my parents, my cousin Nicolas, my brother Roman," Coppola said. "I never thought my dad would be watching me get one — it's a thrill."

She added that she plans to use the win as inspiration for her next project. "My goal is just to make movies, so this is encouraging, and I want to get back to writing and write another screenplay."

The third time was the charm for Canada, which collected the first best foreign-language film award in the country's history. The distinction did not go unnoticed by Denys Arcand, the director of the winning film, "The Barbarian Invasions."