A low profile, but a big win

Though the win was probably no surprise to anyone, including himself, Philip Seymour Hoffman was visibly shaken and “overwhelmed,” as he put it, as he accepted the best actor award, stumbling for words and quoting, sort of, singer Van Morrison.

“It’s not the most comfortable environment,” he said later backstage, after keeping a low profile for much of the night.

The tousle-haired Hoffman, whose portrayal of the witty and duplicitous writer Truman Capote was a critical and oddsmakers’ favorite, thanked his friends and mother, “who brought up four kids alone” and “took me to my first play.”

“Capote” looked at the gay, New York-based writer’s trip to Kansas to research “In Cold Blood,” a keystone of the “nonfiction novel” genre. Despite a manner alien to most of the heartland, the Southern-reared Capote charmed the community and the killers who served as the book’s subjects. Hoffman was credited with capturing the novelist’s discomfort as well as his talent for manipulation. The actor has said he aimed not to mimic Capote but to “internalize” his character.

Though Hoffman has been considered one of the finest actors of his generation for years -- he made his name in indie films such as “Boogie Nights” and “Happiness,” often in supporting roles, and is active in New York theater -- this was a breakout role for him as well as his first Oscar nomination.

Asked backstage what Capote would have made of the film, Hoffman responded: “I have no idea. He was a pretty elusive guy.”

-- Scott Timberg