VIP: Julianne Nicholson rubs elbows with A-listers

It has taken Julianne Nicholson just 17 years to become an overnight success. Until landing the role of Meryl Streep's daughter and Julia Roberts' sister in August: Osage County, Nicholson, 42, paid her bills through steady TV but unflashy work on shows like Boardwalk Empire, Ally McBeal). "I'm either patient or crazy," she says of her long wait for fame. "Acting is a career filled with highs and lows. Two years ago I was at a low, and it's hard when you're in those moments to hold onto the will to carry on. Now it's exciting to be in a movie that people will actually see and talk about."

And, talk they have. August is up for two Oscars -- acting recgonition for Streep and Roberts.

In the family drama, Nicholson plays the seemingly meek daughter who stays at home to care for her hateful mother (Streep), while concealing her romantic life. "I still have Meryl on a pedestal," Nicholson admits. "I was nervous to do our first scene together, but she made me feel that, of course, I should be there. I was so grateful for her putting me at ease that driving home that day was bananas."

Roberts was equally supportive. "I sat next to Julia at the first read-through, and when we finished she said, 'I really like your voice.' That was really nice and sweet and put me at ease immediately."

Rubbing elbows with A-listers has already given Nicholson's career a post-August bump. She stars in Sundance Channel's new drama series The Red Road, launching Feb. 27. "I play a wife and mother who's a recovering alcoholic and suffering from ... schizophrenia."