INTERVIEW: Amy Adams nabs awards nominations for 'The Fighter'

Actress Amy Adams has snagged Screen Actors’ Guild and Golden Globe nominations for best supporting actress for her performance in the “The Fighter,” directed by David O. Russell. In the film she plays Charlene Fleming, the real-life girlfriend of boxer Micky Ward.

Adams has been nominated for big awards before - with Oscar nods for her performances in the films "Doubt" and "Junebug."

She's played real life characters before, too. She took on the part of Amelia Earhart in "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" and a blogging chef following in the steps of Julia Child in "Julia and Julia." In "The Fighter," Adams had a chance to spend time on set with the real life Micky Ward and Charlene Fleming.

Adams says it was important to meet the person she would be portraying.

"It really helped to understand the time and the place and to really keep us honest about how we portrayed it, and to not go into characterizations and just be honest," said Adams.

She also took some boxing lessons, even though her character never steps into the ring. She says director David O. Russell wanted her to come off as a woman who knew how to take and throw a punch.

Russell also instructed Adams to lower her voice for the character.

"He thought I had too much music in my voice which was fair given some of my past dinner theater history," said Adams.