The Forrest Gump star was among the ladies honoured at the Elle magazine gala and audience members were shocked with her lacklustre acceptance speech - some put it down to her ongoing divorce battle with husband Sean Penn.
But Wright, who has already dropped Penn from her name, insists she's just not a very good public speaker.
She tells Entertainment Weekly magazine, "I drove home and drank myself into a stupor out of shame.
"Big groups just ain't my bag... Everybody had a great story about why they're in the business, and their stories were all different and wonderful. I was like, 'OK, I'm 43 f**king years old, and I'm not stepping up and being the best I can be.' I was shy and basically inert."