June Squibb's home town helped her relate to the lifestyle portrayed in 'Nebraska'.
The 84-year-old actress plays Kate Grant in the Oscar-nominated drama and claims Vandalia, which is located in rural Illinois, has the kinds of people characterised in the film.
She told the guardian newspaper: "It [home town] was a small midwestern town in south-eastern Illinois, not a lot different from the places in the movie. I knew all those people in 'Nebraska', I recognised Kate completely.
"I've seen scenes like those groups of utterly silent men watching the football game on TV, or moments just like that, all my life, throughout my family and friends' households there."
Squibb always knew she was "different" and didn't belong in Illinois and aimed to pursue an acting career elsewhere.
She added: "It was a normal small town of about 5-6,000 people, and I had lots and lots of friends, I was a cheerleader and a majorette and all those things you'd expect of a girl in the 30s and 40s. But the thing I always thought of myself as was an actress. I never thought, 'I want to be.' It was always, 'I am.' I felt that from an early age, and I always thought perhaps I don't really belong here."
Squibb has been nominated for an Academy Award for Supporting Actress and is up against Sally Hawkins, Jennifer Lawrence, Lupita Nyong'o and Julia Roberts at the ceremony which takes place in Hollywood on March 2.
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