Marion Cotillard received an Oscar nomination! Warmest congratulations! Her fellow nominees in the category Actress in a Leading Role are Cate Blanchett, Julie Christie, Laura Linney and Ellen Page.

Marion Cotillard, up for Best Actress as Edith Piaf in La Vie En Rose, told PEOPLE of her nomination: “I couldn’t believe this, to be amongst these incredible beautiful stunning actresses I admire so much.” Singling out one in particular, she added, “I just discovered Ellen Page. I saw Juno a few weeks ago. I think she’s amazing, so to be with those actresses is something really unbelievable and special.”

“It’s as if I had swallowed some fireworks or something like this. My friends and my family in Paris, they are so happy.” — Marion Cotillard, on her best actress nomination for “La Vie en Rose.”

In addition, La Vie en Rose garnered nominations in the Costume Design and Makeup categories. See the full list of nominees here.

from Vanity Fair / by S.T. VanAirsdale

Marion Cotillard couldn’t sleep. A virtual Oscar lock since last summer, when her unhinged turn as Edith Piaf in the musical biopic La Vie en Rose first dazzled American audiences, the wait for news of her Best Actress nomination came down to 90 agonizing minutes in the pre-dawn Los Angeles dark. Nothing feels like a sure thing at 4 a.m.

“I try always not to expect so much, so I would say that I was protecting myself,” Cotillard said this morning in an interview with VF.com. “For sure, a lot of people talked to me about this [back] in June. It’s been quite a long time. I’ve tried since then to just enjoy what was going on.”

Among those goings-on were critics’ awards, guild nominations, and her recent Best Actress win at the Golden Globes. Cotillard is gathered again with the usual 2007-season suspects in the Oscars’ Best Actress category. “I didn’t know Ellen Page before Juno, but I think she has something very special,” she said. “And Julie Christie and Laura Linney and Cate Blanchett. Cate Blanchett! I admire her so much. It’s just crazy. When I think about it, it’s just not real.”

So does she think the last six months prepared her for the sleepless Oscar grind to follow? “None of this is hard,” Cotillard said. “In this world there are people who live hard lives, and the month to come will not be hard at all. I really have things to enjoy. There’s no special preparation.” She paused, stifled a laugh. “Except I have to find a dress, of course.”