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If Lloyd Grossman were to go through the keyholes of Oscar winners’ houses, he would find their golden statues in various spots: from prime real estate such as the mantelpiece to the depths of cupboards collecting dust. Emma Thompson, a two-time winner for Howards End and Sense and Sensibility, famously keeps hers in the loo: “They look far too outré anywhere else. They’re great big, gold, shiny things.” She’s not alone – Susan Sarandon, Lionel Richie and Sean Connery all claim to keep their golden fellas alongside their bidets and baths. Kate Winslet is another Brit who’s opted for the loo for her best actress Academy Award, which she was awarded for her complex role as a concentration camp guard in the 2008 adaptation of Bernhard Schlink’s novel, The Reader. While Jodie Foster used to opt for the bathroom – “they looked good with the faucets” – she has since moved the two she won for The Accused and Silence of the Lambs to a much more orthodox spot: a trophy case. Traditionalists include George Clooney, whose awards – best picture for Argo and best supporting Actor for Syriana – are in his library at home, and Dustin Hoffman, whose two best actor awards – the first for Kramer vs. Kramer in 1980 and the second for Rain Man nine years later, are kept in his study. Reese Witherspoon dreamt of being a non-traditionalist, reportedly wanting to transform the best actress statue she won for Walk the Line into a door knocker or a necklace (“statement” jewellery would not have cut the mustard). Neither option being practical, however, he now stands in her living room. | 
