The Actresses Roundtable: Sally Field, Helen Hunt, Marion Cotillard, Anne Hathaway, Amy Adams, Naomi Watts and Rachel Weisz

From left to right: Helen Hunt, (The Sessions); Rachel Weisz, (The Deep Blue Sea); Marion Cotillard, (Rust and Bone); Naomi Watts, (The Impossible); Anne Hathaway, (Les Miserables); Amy Adams, (The Master, Trouble With the Curve); and Sally Field,  (Lincoln). Courtesy The Hollywood Reporter.

This is the time when most Oscar season watchers truly put their Awards Season hats on. I always look forward to The Hollywood Reporter’s annual Awards Roundtable – especially the actresses – and this is an exceptional year for women’s performances. THR‘s news editor Matt Belloni and executive editor Stephen Galloway interviewed these seven strong, intelligent, beautiful women on what it takes to get through the various Award shows, their thoughts on their current films and fighting the good fight to get the roles.

As a woman what I found to be most interesting is their collegial respect for each other as well as the reverential looks toward two-time Oscar winner Sally Field by the other actresses. As well they should. As a mother myself what I empathetically embraced is their passionate protectiveness of their children  – especially from the intrusion of the paparazzi.

With Jessica Chastain’s ZERO DARK THIRTY still unseen, bet on hearing three or four of these women’s names when the nominations are announced January 10, 2013. I would have loved for Judi Dench, Helen Mirren, Jennifer Lawrence and Keira Knightley to have been in the mix and hearing their thoughts on the topics discussed during the hour-long interview.