EW's Special Coverage

Oscars 2012

This year, she counts herself a big fan of The Social Network (''extraordinary''), The King's Speech (''incredibly beautiful''), and Toy Story 3 (''brilliant''). But not everything has impressed her. ''I was shocked by some of the ones that I couldn't imagine were Academy-worthy,'' she says, politely declining to name names. ''But that's life. I don't think a horror film is really acting. I think you can get away with too much.''

She quickly dismisses the notion that there's anything incongruous about a Catholic nun watching R-rated movies such as Black Swan. ''Movies reflect the time. It's not so much that movies are ugly, it's the ugliness of the time that is reflected. To me that indicates what we have to pray for and pray about,'' she says. She's certainly no prude, and like many Benedictines has been taught to reconcile the flawed culture of the outside world with the loftier ambitions of religious life. Plus, she's had plenty of contact with outsiders who've faced many of the issues she sees on screen. ''When I see Natalie Portman masturbating [in Black Swan], I hear the kids come in and talk about their problems with masturbating,'' she says. ''What offends me is, Is the movie itself going to leave people without hope? You have to help them know that there is a way through their grief and their pain.''

Even though she hasn't appeared on a soundstage in nearly 50 years, Mother Dolores still considers herself an actress. Only now, she says, she channels her training into being a better Christian, more empathetic and attuned to the lives of others. ''If you're an actor, you have to have that freedom of being able to give yourself over to the experience of another being. You've got to get that truth and you've got to find it within yourself.''

At the Abbey of Regina Laudis, Mother Dolores believes she has found the role of a lifetime, performing daily for an audience of One.

Originally posted Feb 11, 2011 Published in issue #1140-1141 Feb 04, 2011 Order article reprints
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