( EW.com ) -- Spiraling into oblivion really helps you see things from a different perspective . At Sunday night 's premiere of `` Gravity , '' Sandra Bullock said she felt she did n't deserve the Oscar when she won it for `` The Blind Side '' three years ago — and now her performance as an astronaut stranded in orbit when space debris demolishes her shuttle could win her another one . The survival drama , out Oct. 4 , got an intense reaction as the Toronto International Film Festival 's opening weekend drew to a close , with many marveling at both the technical and emotional achievements of director Alfonso Cuarón ( `` Children of Men , '' `` Harry Potter '' and the `` Prisoner of Azkaban . '' ) Expect `` Gravity '' to be a major player at the Academy Awards this year in all the top categories . It should easily win in the visual effects category , and will be a heavy-duty competitor in the others . Bullock is also a near certain Best Actress nominee , although she said her 2010 win still has n't sunk in . `` I think most people have that out-of-body experience when they win the Oscar . I had a little newborn at home , so my body was already out of itself , '' Bullock said in response to a question about awards season during the post-screening Q & A with festival-goers . `` I still have n't gotten around to having my moment with it yet . Maybe one day it will come . '' She 'll face formidable opponents in the race . Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine , Kate Winslet in `` Labor Day , '' and Emma Thompson from `` Saving Mr. Banks '' are among the potential nominees generating voter buzz . Bullock said awards talk is just part of the fun of festivals , and tried to put the coveted prize in a more grounded context . `` What it does do is make you realize how hard you have to work to earn it , '' she said . `` I did n't feel worthy of it when I got it . So I thought , okay , I 'm going to spend the rest of my life hopefully earning it -- - but having a really good time in the process , as well . '' Except the making `` Gravity '' was ... anything but fun . Since the film is set in orbit , she was often strung up on wires , or locked in a device that spun her wildly in different directions while multiple cameras shot close ups of her face . That footage was later woven into photo-real animation of her and George Clooney in jeopardy , floating far above the Earth . `` It was painful , I remember . Not for me -- but for you , '' Cuarón said . Bullock did n't hesitate to agree . `` Jess , '' she said , imitating his accent as she explained to the crowd : `` That 's 'yes . ' '' Whenever she got frustrated , she would mock his Spanish accent , Cuarón said . `` It was frustrating , it was painful , and it was isolating . But how lucky am I that I got to have all those frustrations , you know , built in ? '' Bullock told the crowd . `` That 's something people who are in the position these characters are in [ would be ] experiencing a thousand-fold . '' That did n't mean she let Cuarón or David Heyman ( producer of the `` Harry Potter '' films ) escape a little of the agony . `` After a while you just used it . And you wanted to kill David and Alfonso regularly , and I used that as well , '' she joked . `` Just all your hate , and anger , and rage -- you just give forth in your work , and hope it translates on the screen . '' Clooney did n't attend the screening ( he 's on the other side of Canada shooting director Brad Bird 's `` Tomorrowland '' in Vancouver . ) But most of the movie is focused on Bullock 's character anyway , with Clooney in a supporting turn as the captain of the space shuttle . Turning serious , Bullock said there was one part of the role that was particularly special to her . `` It was an amazing experience to do as an actor , but I think more importantly as a woman , '' she said , thanking Cuaron , who wrote the script with his son , Jonás . `` It could have very easily [ become ] the role of a man . See the original story here at EW.com . CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . © 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved .
Bullock said she did n't deserve the Oscar for `` The Blind Side . Toronto International Film Festival buzzing over her in `` Gravity '' Filming the role of an astronaut set adrift was difficult .