Emma Stone enjoyed a mini “La La Land” reunion with Ryan Gosling. Margot Robbie chatted with Billie and Finneas Eilish. “Barbie” director Greta Gerwig and “Oppenheimer” director Christopher Nolan, whose two films will forever be fused in public imagination and box office history, each received a parade of well-wishers.
And despite the hubbub of hundreds of chattering people around him, a border collie named Messi, better known as Snoop, the scene-stealer from the thriller “Anatomy of a Fall,” huddled quietly under a table, unimpressed with all the Oscar nominees in their midst. (Already a winner of the Dog Palm at Cannes last year, Messi may have surpassed those dog-and-pony shows at this point.)
Margot Robbie, center, and Pam Abdy at the 2024 Oscar Nominees Luncheon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
In total, 184 of this year's 205 Academy Award contenders gathered Monday afternoon at the Beverly Hilton to toast their achievements at the annual nominees luncheon and pose together for Hollywood's most exclusive class photo. .
Just weeks before the Oscars on March 10, the annual luncheon (a ritual that dates back to the 1980s) offered nominees a chance to socialize in a convivial, competition-free environment, momentarily free of the reality that only 20% or so many of them will emerge victorious when the Oscar season reaches its climax.
For many, including nominated actors such as Cillian Murphy (“Oppenheimer”), Sterling K. Brown (“American Fiction”), America Ferrera (“Barbie”) and Da’Vine Joy Randolph (“The Holdovers”), it was their first time who attends the event. For others, like “Maestro” director and star Bradley Cooper, “Holdovers” star Paul Giamatti and “Poor Things” director Yorgos Lanthimos, this isn't their first Oscar rodeo.
Director Greta Gerwig at the 2024 Oscar Nominees Luncheon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Watching the collective star power, some of the less familiar faces, like Mstylslav Chernov, first-time director of the nominated documentary “20 Days in Mariupol,” seemed stunned simply by being there. “It's incredible the journey this film has taken,” said Chernov, whose image chronicles the harrowing experience he and a group of fellow Ukrainian journalists faced trying to document the Russian invasion of their country while under siege, almost as far away from the glamorous evening. as one can imagine.
Taking the stage to welcome the star crowd, which also included executives such as Disney's Bob Iger and Netflix's Ted Sarandos, Academy President Janet Yang praised what many consider a particularly strong group of nominees.
Paul Giamatti, left, and Sterling K. Brown at the 2024 Oscar Nominees Luncheon.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
“I hope each of you has taken some time over the past few weeks to reflect on your accomplishments and absorb the feeling of being part of this esteemed class of filmmakers,” he told the nominees. “It may seem cliché, but it's true: receiving a nomination is an honor of the highest level, especially since you are nominated by your peers.”
That said, come Oscar night, with the telecast's producers under endless pressure to trim the often overlong show, Yang said nominees must do their part to keep things moving and deliver emotional moments. .
Emma Stone and Bradley Cooper at the 2024 Oscar nominees luncheon.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
“Please keep your speeches short, that is, less than 45 seconds,” he urged the nominees, noting that there will be a “thank you camera” set up behind the stage for the winners to express their gratitude to as many people as they want. . “Speak from the heart. Be authentic. Allow yourself to feel the moment. Add a pinch of humor if you want. Also, we want to see the beautiful faces of hers instead of the tops of their heads, so let's not read on a piece of paper or on your phone.”
América Ferrera, center, at the 2024 Oscar nominees luncheon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
For nominees, Oscar season can feel like an endless parade of screenings, cocktail parties, Q&As and receptions. But the lunch marks the only stop during Oscar season when most of the nominees are in the same room before the awards show.
Director Martin Scorsese at the 2024 Oscar nominees luncheon.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Looking around that room, Ben Proudfoot, who co-directed the short documentary “The Last Repair Shop,” a Los Angeles Times and Fox Searchlight co-production, marveled that virtually everywhere you looked there was someone famous, summing up the vibe. in a single word: “he is electric.”
Messi, the border collie from the movie “Anatomy of a Fall,” attracted a flood of admirers at the Oscar nominees luncheon.
(Josh Rotenberg/Los Angeles Times)
