California Suite

It was a different time back then with there being less emphasis on award ceremony's and less public scrutiny so actors not making speeches, if they weren't considered the favourites, and who then went on to win Oscars, was a common thing. Seems incredible now, but some nominated actors didn't go to the ceremony because of politics, or because they couldn't be bothered (like Maggie, when she was nominated in 1987). There's even some instances of actors cancelling Oscar campaigns, which would never happen these days. As she said backstage after she won, Maggie thought she didn't have a 'hope in hell' of winning, which I think is likely since Dyan Cannon was in a heavily nominated film and won the Globe and Maureen Stapleton had lost twice before and also was in a much-liked film, as was Streep. I can't imagine Penelope Milford picking up many votes for her bland performance in Coming Home.

Well, I think that her playing an actress who loses an Oscar was a major factor of her...winning! I'm not sure if she had won for the same role if her character was not going to the Academy Awards, but some other kind of awards. Not that her performance wasn't good, on the contrary, but as you said, Cannon and Stapleton should have more chances.

But still, it's very lame that she played a character who loses an Oscar and even says "screw the Academy" in a scene, and then she wins the Oscar in real life, and makes NO comment about her role. Just like it was an ordinary role. It's silly, don't you think? Playing a character that (almost) all she talks about is the Oscar, and then she goes up and makes no joke about it. Ugh...

I don't think it's silly, just that it didn't occur to joke about it given she didn't think she was going to win and was more concerned about thanking the people who helped her performance. Her friend who she stayed with in Los Angeles the week of the Oscars says in Maggie's authorised biography that Maggie told her that she didn't think she was going to win. She was genuinely surprised about winning - remember also that only two people before her had ever won two Oscars in the lead and supporting categories. Plus, Maggie is the type that prefers to joke privately.

Reviving this thread because the official clip of Maggie receiving her second Oscar was uploaded recently and it's of a better quality than the one in the OP. Here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p2c-ME7i_w

Maggie Smith deserved her Oscar for California Suite. Maggie Smith and Michael Caine were both terrific in that film. I was not surprised when she won.