To talk to Lois Smith is to hear her professes, again and again, how fortunate and lucky she has been, almost as if everything in her career happened by chance.

At 87, Smith is closing the book on what may be the splashiest year of her seven-decade tenure in film and theater. In January, the big-screen adaptation of Marjorie Prime premiered at Sundance; Smiths performance has since sparked Oscar buzz , collecting nominations from the Gotham Awards and the Independent Spirit Awards. Smith originated the role onstage, in Jordan Harrisons Pulitzer-nominated play about an octogenarian conjuring memories from her life in the company of her late husband, who assumes the form of a computer-programmed hologram.

The movie Marjorie Prime opened in August. Then, Smith appeared in Novembers Lady Bird, the acclaimed Greta Gerwig film thats another awards season favorite. For a venerated actress who has consistently worked without achieving widespread fame, Smiths 2017 has been an improbable treat. Its one of precious few examples of aging performers earning their due.

HuffPost sat down with Smith in New York on the afternoon of last months Gotham Awards. If she earns an Oscar nomination on Jan. 23, shell be among the oldest nominees in the awards 90-year history. What does she think of all this fuss? Shes grateful, of course, but she could do without it, too.

It seems youve had a huge year. Does it feel that way to you?

Oh my gosh, its been wild. This past year has been very quiet for me, actually, in a certain way. I was recovering from [her partner, actor David Margulies] death, which happened a year ago last January. Its getting into almost two years now.

But the year just before this very year was so busy. The first time I did Marjorie Prime was the fall of 2014, and after that, I did a play at [Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago] that Rory Kinnear had written, his first play, and directly back to New York and pretty straight into Annie Bakers play John [at Signature Theatre Company in August 2015]. And right after that was the filming of Marjorie Prime, and right after that I mean, really, hours into the first rehearsal of Marjorie Prime onstage at Playwrights Horizons.

And then it was January of 2016. That year, I turned down all the roles that came for the stage. Nothing I was really into. But I started doing quite a lot of guest shots in episodic series. Its all been really overwhelming, really it has been.

Im not working [now]. Well, Im doing television stuck in among the other things, briefly. Ive got plays coming up, but not until spring.

Do you prefer to stay in New York?

I do. I love to be at home. I really do.

Was there a point in your career when you became choosier about the roles that required travel?

Well, for quite a while I was a single mother with a growing child, and I thought, I cant really take long trips, and I also dont want to. Its a good excuse.

And then later, there were good times, onstage and on film, of going out of town. I havent done a lot of classics, though. Ive done almost no Shakespeare, Im sorry to say, but I did get to do some Chekhov and Shaw. Irene Lewis was so great the first time I worked at the Baltimore Center Stage, when she was the artistic director, I did a modern George Walker play, and she asked me if theres anything I wanted to do. At that time, I knew I wanted to do The Cherry Orchard, and we did a beautiful production. And then I said, When I was a student, I always thought Id do Shaw, and I never had. And she did Mrs. Warrens Profession for me, so that was a treat.

I always say its the people or the material, and when the people and the material were very attractive, theres no reason I couldnt do the plays.

Is there a Shakespeare role that youd love to get your hands on?

You know, its a little late now for my favorites. There might still be something.

You could kick Macbeth up a couple of generations and do an older Lady Macbeth, right?

[Laughs.] Well see.