Michelle Yeoh and Angela Bassett share a long hug, whispering, laughing and squealing with joy as all the phones around take pictures of them. Vanity Fair magazine’s annual post-Oscar party was filled with such moments of warmth and joy as Sunday night flowed smoothly into Monday morning without the drama and tension that hovered over last year’s post-awards edition, the AP reports.
Yeo, whose best actress Oscar was one of seven on a night dominated by “Everything Everywhere at Once,” had just entered the party and was surrounded by well-wishers and selfie-seekers before seeing Bassett, who didn’t was happy after losing Best Supporting Actress to Yeo’s co-star Jamie Lee Curtis, but here she was all smiles. Yeo later hugged his Oscar as he swayed back and forth to Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me” at the end of the dance floor, though it was hard to dance with all the attention he was getting.
Yeo with her lover Jean Todt
Photo: Getty Images
The same treatment was given to Brendan Fraser, who walked in with the Oscar for best actor for “The Whale” shortly before Yeo, very slowly making his way through the room amid constant applause.
Brendan Fraser with his sons Holden Leland and his girlfriend Jean Moore
Photo: Getty Images
One half of the directing duo behind “Everything Everywhere at Once,” Daniel Scheinert, with none of the three Oscars he won Sunday night or his co-star Daniel Quan in sight, stood outside eating a burger at the In- en-out,” the traditional party staple, as he bounced up and down to House in Pain’s “Jump Around.” “I’m finally going to have dinner, and that’s nice,” Scheinert said as the long evening and even longer awards season drew to a close.
The champagne-fueled event, which began as a 100-person party and became the evening’s most sought-after invitation, is hosted in a space that connects the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts with Beverly Hills City Hall and is hosted by the editor of “Vanity Fair” Radhika Jones. It’s also always full of far lesser-known people, Oscar winners and winners of categories like Best Documentary Short, who get an automatic invite along with their statuette.
Oscar night is just the beginning for many stars after the ceremony itself is over, and the first stop is always the Governors Ball, just one escalator up the road from the Dolby Theater at the Ovation Hollywood complex. The winners go there with one main goal: to receive the Oscars engraved with their names, which were prominently displayed at the party this year. Others take the opportunity to eat the snacks prepared by Wolfgang Puck.
Two idiots – Paul Deino and Paul Mezcal
Photo: Getty Images
Harrison Ford even gave a quick full tour of the hall.
Photo: Getty Images
Navalny director Daniel Rohr took his newly-acquired personalized Best Documentary Oscar with him and lined up for ribs. Sarah Polley followed, making her way up the stairs with her Adapted Screenplay Oscar in hand.
Photo: Getty Images
It was relatively calm until Curtis made his way onto the platform and photographers rushed to take pictures. Ki Hee Kwan finally appeared to receive his personalized Best Supporting Actor statuette, then faced the cameras, waving his fist and pointing at the word “Oscar” written on the screen above him.
“Kit” playwright and screenwriter Samuel D. Hunter was still coming to terms with the fact that Fraser not only won, but mentioned him by name in his acceptance speech. “We set our expectations low, so it was amazing,” Hunter said. His husband, who was standing next to him, added: “He just burst into tears.”
Jimmy Kimmel and his wife Molly McEarney
Photo: Getty Images
Meanwhile, host Jimmy Kimmel had slipped away from the main party, chatting with “Top Gun: Maverick” director Joseph Kosinski and “Kit” director Darren Aronofsky. Judd Hirsch also made his way to Kimmel, who was in good spirits standing next to his wife and producer Molly McNearney as he sipped red wine. “I think it was a good show,” screenwriter Tony Kushner said at the exit, adding, “Jimmy Kimmel did a great job.”
By 9:30, some of them were ready to go. Hugh Grant headed for the exit, and Sigourney Weaver wasn’t far behind. Still, the Vanity Fair party was already underway and a car away. Grant would soon be drinking champagne there, and Weaver, Kimmel, and Hirsch would soon follow suit. Fableman director and Hollywood royalty Steven Spielberg made a surprise and brief appearance at the party. He was greeted and hugged by Ariana DeBose, who won an Oscar last year for his “West Side Story.”
The fame and fortune of the Vanity Fair party goes far beyond Hollywood. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his partner Lauren Sanchez exchanged hugs, posed for photos and offered travel plans to Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson and his wife, Kiara. Tennis great John McEnroe, his wife, singer Patti Smith, and actress and screenwriter Mindy Kaling chatted and posed for photos at the other end of the hall.
Photo: Getty Images
Outside, on the smoky patio, Andrew Garfield and Seth Rogen were yelling at each other over the pulsing music of a nearby dance floor, Rogen letting out his signature laugh. Soon after, Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala also appeared to greet them. Yeo and Fraser, best actress and best actor, bumped into each other in the parking lot outside the party and embraced one last time at the end of a triumphant awards season that had the happiest of endings for both of them.
Gigi Hadid opted for red for the party
Photo: Getty Images
