Oprah Identifies with 'Precious' star Gabourey Sidibe

Gabby's made a friend.

After her Oscar nomination at this year's Academy Awards, Precious actress Gabourey Sidibe is well on her way to becoming a bonafide Hollywood star. And according to Oprah, it's only a matter of time.

At the governor's Ball after Sunday night's award ceremony, Oprah said she asked to introduce Sidibe for the Best Actress award nominations because she feels the pair have a lot in common.

"I saw myself in her," Winfrey told People. "This whole roller coaster that happens to you when you're passionate about something – she wasn't even thinking of being an actress; she just auditioned. And now here she is, being nominated alongside Meryl Streep, who is the greatest actress in the world, with Sean Penn reading her name. Only in America."

Though she didn't win (Sandra Bullock pinched it from her), a nomination for an Academy Award for your first acting gig can only bode well for the future.

As Oprah put it in her introduction speech, Gabby is "a true American Cinderella on the threshold of a brilliant new career. And 'precious' is but the first of many adjectives coming your way – and they are all great."