''I hope it's a trend toward interesting parts, women that are multifaceted and rich in their journeys,'' she said. ''It's what interests me most. The more you can change yourself, the more removed the character is from your own experience. As an audience member I like to watch that. I was mesmerized watching Charlize become this woman. It's a wonderful thing when you can get lost and follow the character.''

Meanwhile, Mr. Robbins took the Oscar for best supporting actor for his performance in ''Mystic River'' as a defeated, grown victim of child molesters who is suspected of murder. Accepting his award, he thanked his co-stars but also urged victims of child abuse to seek help. ''If you are out there and are a person who has had that tragedy befall you, there is no shame and no weakness in seeking help,'' he said. ''It is sometimes the strongest thing you can do to stop the cycle of violence.''

Three films nominated at the Oscars this year make reference to child abuse and its lasting consequences, including ''Monster'' and the documentary ''Capturing the Friedmans.'' Advocates for the issue had urged nominees to speak from the stage to raise awareness about it.

Backstage, Mr. Robbins said his character had been stigmatized by abuse, and his character's parents had ignored it, hoping the problem would disappear. ''That's pretty common for victims of abuse,'' he said. ''They kept him in the same neighborhood, so he was forever defined as 'the kid that was.' It isn't a sign of weakness to seek help. Sometimes it's the most difficult thing to have to do, and the most important thing you have to do.''

Blake Edwards, the writer and director of the ''Pink Panther'' movies, who also directed other classics like ''Days of Wine and Roses'' and ''Breakfast at Tiffany's,'' accepted an honorary Oscar for his lifetime of work. The diminutive Mr. Edwards came crashing through onto the stage and thanked ''everyone who has contributed to this moment, friend and foes alike; I couldn't have done it without the foes.'' He also thanked ''the beautiful English broad with the incomparable soprano and promiscuous vocabulary, thank you.'' He was referring to his wife, Julie Andrews.

''Two Soldiers,'' a 40-minute film based on the William Faulkner short story about two brothers divided by war, by Aaron Schneider and Andrew Sacks, won the Oscar for best live-action short film. And ''Harvie Krumpet,'' a claymation movie by the Australian director Adam Elliot, won for best animated short. It is about a Polish-born man cursed by bad luck.