mike - Hollywood Authentic

May 11, 2024

Photographs by ADAHLIA COLE & COLIN PECK
Words by ABBIE CORNISH

Jordan Kahn’s Meteora is nothing short of spectacular. There’s a reason why Kahn has two Michelin stars at such a young age, and Meteora is just one of them. Hailed by the late Jonathan Gold, the legendary LA Times food critic, Kahn is not a stop short of perfection. There is no real foodie, wine connoisseur, critic, ratings person, dog, cat, or alien that wouldn’t have a good time here. Leave it at the door, and relax into one of the best dining experiences you’ll have right now in Los Angeles.

First, about the space… 6703 Melrose Avenue has a past. And yep, I was around for it. I’ve lived in this neighbourhood for nearly 19 years. I’ve watched it change and grow, and I’ve had eyes on that address – both as a restaurant lover and a real estate junkie. Here’s the download. After the long-standing and popular Hatfields moved on, 6703 Melrose was never fully reinvented or realised – that is, until Kahn came along. In collaboration with Roth Architecture and OV&CO, the space was transformed. Meteora is warm, open, beautifully lit, botanical, comfortable, otherwordly yet earthly; most certainly unique. Kahn, along with his collaborators, has crafted an exceptional dining experience. He has a way of doing that. Kahn himself has described it as: ‘Looking to our ancient past as inspiration for our future. Primal live-fire cooking, ingredients of rich bio-diversity and creativity define our New California cuisine.’

meteoria, restaurant, los angeles, hollywood authentic

So get ready to nestle in. Whether you are with your bestie, your significant other, family or friends, you will be taken care of in every way by the kind-spirited staff, an exceptional kitchen, a one-of-a -kind director of service, Cody Nason, a knowledgeable and smooth sommelier, James Saidy, and by Khan himself.

At 16, Jordan Khan left Savannah for Charleston, wrote a nine-page letter to French Laundry’s Thomas Keller, and kickstarted his somewhat destined journey to Meteora. Kahn earned his stars at his progressive and interstellar restaurant, Verspertine, located in Culver City. I’ve been there a few times and it is something else. Talk about levels: Vespertine is all the way up. It temporarily paused in-house dining in 2020 but – so a little birdy told me – it may (off books) reopen later this year. But there is no doubt that Kahn’s style, work ethic, attention to detail, love of the craft, open mind and humble genius all fuelled his swift rise to the top. Gratitude and good energy emanates from him, his co-workers, the food and beverages themselves, and from the entire restaurant.

Let’s talk about the food. My bestie Jacqueline King Schiller and I went all out on the chef omakase menu… and added wine pairings. Gotta say, I was impressed. How do I even explain it? Perhaps I’ll let Kahn do so instead… ‘Our cuisine is centred around live-fire cooking. Guests can expect elemental and inventive compositions that highlight sustainably sourced wild and organic vegetables, grains, seafood and meats.’

This live-fire cooking transforms ingredients, especially produce, in unexpected ways: charred pineapple takes on a meaty flavour and texture, adding hits of smoke and acid to delicate slivers of scallops neatly arranged in their shells. Burnt yam, caramelised yet savoury, balances plump rounds of briny trout roe paired with hazelnuts. And one of the most unique dishes is a creamy smoked almond mousse, light as a feather – and wonderfully complex when served with luscious chunks of embered persimmon and crunchy grilled peanuts.

‘We work directly with farmers, fisherman, ranchers, and foragers to create hyper-seasonal menus of exceptional quality with a commitment to sustainability and environmental impact,’ say the show notes. This pays off in not only the quality of the ingredients, but the menu as a whole. This is a dining experience filled with flavour pairings that are creative yet cohesive; deeply evocative of the place and the season. Take something as simple as the fourth dish, avocado and caviar, for example. Only two ingredients, and yet so much more. The avocado, drizzled with pressed oil from the seed, imparted with the subtle flavour of the leaves, cradles a large spoon-full of top-notch caviar. Yummy. What surprised me about this is not only the dish itself, but the story behind it (another reason why I love Jordan Kahn, and I love Meteora). Check this: the avocado was farmed by a local osteopath who farms avocados on his land as a hobby. Wait. I just ate one of the best things in my life, made from only two ingredients, one of which was farmed by an osteopath?

Jordan Kahn loves a journey. A transformative space. Almost like a retreat or a teleportation. If energy cannot be created or destroyed, but can only transform from one form to another, then Kahn has found a way to transform it all into awesomeness. Moving on – because I could go on – this is truly an experience that I hope you will have someday soon.

Dinner is Wednesday to Sunday night. The bar is walk-ins or reservations. A la carte at the bar and surrounding nooks. One of the most underused bars in LA in my opinion! Beverages are extensive: cocktails are amazing, the non-alcoholic drinks are delightful and the wine list is impeccable. Peace. Til the next review…

Photographs by ADAHLIA COLE & COLIN PECK
Words by ABBIE CORNISH

Talking Pictures

TAYLOR & DEAN

May 11, 2024

Photograph by RICHARD C. MILLER
Courtesy of GETTY IMAGES
Words by GISELE SCHMIDT & GARY OLDMAN

When asked how we got together, we always answer: ‘Liz Taylor and James Dean.’ But we really owe it all to Richard Miller, the freelance entertainment and stills photographer, who captured the image of them relaxing on a sofa in Houston, Texas in 1955.

In truth, saying ‘Richard C. Miller’ doesn’t carry the weight and humour of saying ‘Taylor and Dean’, but it should. We have all heard the adage, ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’, and we don’t disagree – but what of the person who took it, or the people in it, what we take from it, or what happens because of it? We feel that those stories are equally as captivating, should be shared, and well… at times, they may take a thousand words to tell.

So, we thank Hollywood Authentic and our dear friend, Greg Williams, for indulging us with this opportunity in the forthcoming issues to share the stories of how some of the most iconic images were taken, pay homage to the extraordinary photographers behind them, and take you on the journey of how the love of photography changed our lives forever.

Over the course of his career, Miller took photographs of celebrities and stills on more than 70 movie sets, with his work appearing in The Saturday Evening Post, American Weekly, Colliers, Time and LIFE. He was one of the first photographers who took pictures of Norma Jean for the Blue Book Modeling Agency long before her transformation into Marilyn Monroe, and he covered the set photographs of what would be Dean’s third and final film, Giant. Which brings us to this photograph.

Miller studied to be a cinematographer and was an actor prior to establishing himself as a photographer. Dean aspired to be a film director and shared a passion for photography – among his closest friends were notable photographers Phil Stern, Dennis Stock and Roy Schatt (the latter being Dean’s photography instructor who had also given Dean his Rolleiflex). Hence why when Miller met Dean, they became fast friends who bonded over their love of Porsches, cameras and the filmmaking process, and Miller told his wife, ‘This is a guy who will be a best friend for life.’

A great image is typically generated by knowing when to click the shutter, but it also needs the right elements of composition. Between the photographer and the subject, cooperation and collaboration, magic can happen. Miller recounted that when Dean saw him about to take the photograph, he would do something to make it better; a look, a stance, a gesture, and in this case, simply grabbing the LOOK magazine featuring Taylor on the cover as Mother of the Year, while she napped beside him.

This very photograph is what brought Gary into the gallery where I worked and now hangs proudly in our home. It’s the image that we bonded over, and began our conversations on cameras, film and photography; it is what started us on the path to becoming best friends and partners for life. And come to think of it, Gary did drive over in his Porsche.

Photograph by RICHARD C. MILLER
Courtesy of GETTY IMAGES
Words by GISELE SCHMIDT & GARY OLDMAN

Space Odyssey

SILVER SCREEN DREAM

May 11, 2024

Photographs by MARK READ
Words by JANE CROWTHER

Standing on Broadway, between W Olympic and W 9th, the rosy-hued United Theater soars 13 floors over the historic Broadway Theater District of Downtown LA, a physical manifestation of the dream of independence by Hollywood artists. As dusk falls and the grand dame’s neon flickers on, the building seems like a time capsule – an opulent cathedral to movies from a bygone age and now one of the last remaining atmospheric auditoriums from an era pioneering the so-called ‘seventh art’. Though it was not the first picturehouse to stand in this neighbourhood, the United was a trailblazer in representing a new wave of indie movie stars in Chaplin and his fellow renegades – artists who wanted out of the studio system in order to control their own creative output. In 1919, the group broke away from the studios and formed United Artists, giving themselves agency over the creation, production and distribution of their work – a standard ambition for any actor working in Hollywood today, but an entirely maverick concept then. Eight years later, they formed the United Artists Theatre Circuit to showcase UA productions, and the United Artists Theatre was conceived as the flagship. Downtown LA was the growing hub for movie life, a mecca for film fans that evolved to become the world’s largest concentrated area of movie houses by 1931.

At the height of movie mania, Downtown could seat a staggering 15,000 audience members over 12 cinemas. Entertainment began in the district in 1870 when William Abbot started the first permanent theatre in the spot that is now El Pueblo de Los Angeles historic park, welcoming a merry-go-round of theatrical troupes as they travelled the show circuit through then-fledging towns. By the turn of the century Abbot’s business was joined by nickelodeons and vaudeville venues, with promoter Sid Grauman opening a theatre where the Million Dollar now sits on Broadway in 1918.

united on broadway, united theater, space odyssey, architecture, mark read, hollywood authentic, greg williams

united on broadway, united theater, space odyssey, architecture, mark read, hollywood authentic, greg williams, charlie chaplin, mary pickford, douglas fairbanks, dw griffith

On opening night, 100,000 fans crowded the streets to listen to the event via loudspeakers, the national guard called in to keep order

By 1922, Grauman had opened the ‘atmospheric’ Egyptian theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, following it in 1927 with the Chinese down the road. The United began construction in the same year, with crowds in their thousands jostling to see Mary Pickford break ground perched in a steam-driven shovel. Designed by architect C Howard Crane in a gothic design that was a departure from the in-vogue classic revival architecture of the day, the vibe of the venue was thought to have been inspired by Pickford and Fairbanks’ honeymoon to Spain, the soaring vaulted ceilings and intricate plasterwork recalling the lines of the cathedral in Segovia.

The interiors were decorated with cheeky Anthony Heinsbergen-created murals that showed Chaplin and gang as heroic deities fighting demonic oppressors painted to resemble their former bosses, the controlling studio heads

The bankrolling film stars built the place with wonder in mind – their aim being to transport 2,214 punters to another world the minute they stepped through the door. So the height of the building transcended the highest in the city at the time at 13 storeys (the tallest in LA until the 1950s) and the interiors were decorated with cheeky Anthony Heinsbergen-created murals that showed Chaplin and gang as heroic deities fighting demonic oppressors painted to resemble their former bosses, the controlling studio heads.

On the building’s exterior, the carved grotesques crouching at the top of terracotta columns and in window arches were cameramen and jazz musicians instead of gargoyles. And the proscenium around the silver screen was a riot of red filigree to match the extravagant ceilings gold painted to look like tapestries and the exotic Byzantine lanterns. The auditorium ceiling featured an oval dome tiled with dazzling mirrors and thousands of crystal drops that shimmered in a draught. Pickford had her own private screening room installed – only accessible via the gentlemen’s restrooms – and continuously running water fountains dotted the lobbies.

Throughout 1927, crews worked around the clock to get the building ready for the January 1928 premiere of Pickford’s My Best Girl. On opening night, 100,000 fans crowded the streets to listen to the event via loudspeakers, the national guard called in to keep order. The movie-star owners regularly appeared at the venue until the Depression forced a temporary closure. When it reopened, the United moved with the demands of the times, installing Todd-AO 70mm widescreen-format projectors, but its single-screen majesty fell out of favour in the 80s when crowds flocked to modern multiplexes.

On opening night, 100,000 fans crowded the streets to listen to the event via loudspeakers, the national guard called in to keep order

While many solo-screen cinemas were carved up for multi-screen use or razed entirely, the United survived thanks to a period during Downtown’s down-turn when it became a Spanish-language movie theatre and then a ministry for TV evangelist Gene Scott. The flamboyant Scott, who often wore two pairs of glasses and claimed to hang a Rembrandt in the lobby, bought the building in 1986, installing a neon ‘Jesus Saves’ sign on the roof and preaching to his congregation in the seats and via TV. His occupation helped the palace remain beautiful, his restoration works ensuring its longevity for future generations of wide-eyed audiences and, in 2013, hotel guests when The Ace Hotel took over. The theatre has gone full circle in its identity this year; having been called numerous names over the decades, it has now returned to The United Theater On Broadway after The Ace moved out in January.

Today, the 1,600-seat venue still retains its original features and such an aura of the roaring 20s that it made the perfect space to convey the hedonistic party atmosphere Damien Chazelle wanted for the opening 40 minutes of Babylon. During a two-week shoot, the The United returned to its heyday – with charlestoning revellers, rivers of fake champagne, mountains of stunt cocaine, chickens and a jazz band. Stepping through its doors now is like time travel – a picture palace stopped in its tracks, the creativity of its founders and the joy they brought audiences felt in its foundations. Perhaps that’s why the unique space still attracts singular performers such as The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Nick Cave, Johnny Marr and Ariana Grande to its stage, and film premieres continue to roll out the red carpet. Troubadours and artists still keeping the fierce spirit of independence reverberating through its walls… Just as Charlie and Mary intended.

Photographs and video by MARK READ
The United Theater On Broadway Los Angeles, CA 90015 Los Angeles. theunitedtheater.com/@theunitedtheater

On Location

RIVIERA CHIC

May 9, 2024

As Cannes’ Palais rolls out the red carpet, the grift begins for everyone from bellboys to producers trying to seal a deal over a glass of rosé and the roar of the crowds lining the Croisette. This gem of the French Riviera has become a hot spot for the jet-set and Hollywood since the first festival of 1938, when France wanted to create an answer to the longer-running Venice Film Festival. However, nestled south of Nice and above Monaco, Cannes is not the only glitzy Mediterranean spot with ties to cinema. Hollywood Authentic picks the movie vacation spots worth visiting on and off screen.

the carlton hotel, to catch a thief, cannes

1. TO CATCH A THIEF (1955)
THE CARLTON HOTEL, CANNES

By the 1950s, the Cote d’Azur was having a growth spurt, and into this post-war uptick came Alfred Hitchcock’s To Catch A Thief, featuring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. Grant plays villain John ‘The Cat’ Robie who, on the run, tries to clear his name. He meets heiress Frances Stevens (Kelly), who falls for the cravat-clad rat. The ensuing fun is a travelogue showing the Riviera at its finest. There’s much action in the Carlton Hotel, the classic 1913 pile designed by Nicoise architect Charles Dalmas (whose belle époque edifices pepper the coast), which is now home to much of the fest bustle during the month of May. Hitch’s film romps through the hotel, past the striped loungers at its Beach Club, along its jetty, and also takes in Nice, Cannes and Monaco – much of it in Stevens’ powder-blue convertible 1953 Sunbeam.

Grace Kelly’s links to the town and hotel are indelible – she met Prince Rainier there during the 1955 festival and married him a year later. Tragically, she died on a nearby corniche in 1982. Since 1989, the Carlton has been a historical monument and when it was refurbished last year for Regent Hotels, interior designer Tristan Auer referred to Hitch’s classic in his staff uniforms: pleated skirts for women, seersucker blazers for men.

A convenient stone’s throw from Le Palais, it offers peace from Croisette promotion in light and airy rooms (the suites are named for movie stars who have stayed), boasts the largest infinity pool in Cannes and the brioche lobster rolls at the Beach Club are justifiably famous. The perfect spot for people-watching – and when the show’s in town, what a promenade.

https://carltoncannes.com

hotel la ponche, saint-tropez, and god created woman

2. AND GOD CREATED WOMAN (1956)
HÔTEL LA PONCHE, SAINT-TROPEZ

Few films have had such an impact on a place as Roger Vadim’s And God Created Woman. The breakthrough for both starlet Brigitte Bardot and St Tropez itself, it charted the town’s Riviera trajectory from fishing village through demimonde hangout to pastel-splashed resort. Vadim’s zeitgeist film concentrated on both siren-like starlet and sexuality in the context of an awakening town. As a prurient New York Times review sniffed at the time: ‘This round and voluptuous little French miss is put on spectacular display…’ The same could be said of St Tropez’ roofs, cafes and Tahiti Beach.

During filming the cast and crew, including Bardot and her director beau Vadim, stayed at the Hôtel La Ponche, a block from the water since its opening in 1938. Anyone looking for their own work/play haven can now enjoy its refurbishment by designer Fabrizio Casiraghi as a 21-room Provencal townhouse that boasts A-list monikered suites (the ‘Jack Nicholson’ gazes over La Ponche beach) and the Prestige, that was favoured by Bardot back in the day – perhaps because it promises guests the ability to sunbathe on its hidden balcony ‘out of sight’. French novelist and playwright Françoise Sagan was so enamoured of the view she sped there in her Jaguar X/440 and wrote: ‘I got up from my bed, I opened the shutters, and the sea and the sky threw the same blue, the same pink, the same happiness in my face.’ If you drive, the hotel has a car park away from the sea, but guests are ferried to reception via the cute cream Petit Piaggio scooter, and you can swap your motor with a boat for a nautical day trip complete with a picnic created by the hotel’s celebrated chef. Run by Simone Duckstein (whose parents established the hotel), La Ponche has always lived up to the promise of Vadim’s trailer, which described Saint-Tropez as ‘the pagan paradise of the French Riviera’. Duckstein attests that at its most pagan the hideaway was host to ‘men only loyal to their room key’.

https://laponche.com

hotel du cap-eden-roc, antibes, under the cherry moon

3. UNDER THE CHERRY MOON (1986)
HOTEL DU CAP-EDEN-ROC, ANTIBES

F Scott Fitzgerald’s Tender is the Night describes a fondant of a hotel for his central couple to frolic in and the jewel in the crown of Riviera luxe hotels, the 1870 Hotel du Cap, was his inspiration. He’s not the only artist to have been bewitched by it: Marlene Deitrich conducted a love affair with Joseph Kennedy under its roof in 1938, the menu was sketched by Picasso in 1955, Ernest Hemingway sipped nightcaps looking at the sea, Rita Hayworth met Prince Aly Khan over dinner and most Hollywood players have sat in the famous restaurant or dived into the pool carved into the craggy basalt cliffs.

Discreet, chic and timeless (idio-syncratically, the ‘Cap’ only started taking credit cards in 2006), it’s little wonder it was the perfect location for Prince’s 1986 cinematic French fancy, Under The Cherry Moon – a monochrome doomy romance that saw the purple one as a gigolo out to seduce then-newcomer Kristen Scott Thomas out of her family cash. He teased her, wooed her and whisked her round the balcony at the Eden-Roc restaurant – the venue for many a Cannes Film Festival party, including the first in 1946 when a host of film stars (including Norma Shearer, Douglas Fairbanks and Gary Cooper) were brought from America on a liner that dropped anchor in the bay.

Part of its appeal is the approach to the hotel, a driveway through the lush gardens and a breathtaking descending path – la grande allée – to the sea (and hideaway cabanas) through the palms and wisteria. There’s also the privacy: the Cap has a private shoreline, hidden villas and is far enough away from the Cannes hubbub to feel like a retreat. Though behind its gates lies every amenity for tennis fans, gastro-geeks, wild swimmers and those who seek the recalibration of a wind-down. Order the house cocktail, the Eden-Roc Splash, and relax.

https://www.oetkercollection.com/hotels/hotel-du-cap-eden-roc

testament of orpheus, welcome hotel, villefranche-sur-mer

4. TESTAMENT OF ORPHEUS (1960)
WELCOME HOTEL, VILLFRANCHE-SUR-MER

Polymath Jean Cocteau came from a difficult background in Paris and flew south to reinvent himself as the dandy of the Cote d’Azur. The town of Villefranche-sur-Mer was his favourite spot and it plays a part in his final film, Testament of Orpheus,starring his muse Jean Marais alongside cameos from Charles Aznavour, Brigitte Bardot, Yul Brynner, even Pablo Picasso.

When he stayed and subsequently lived in Villefranche, he holed up at the peach-coloured Hotel Welcome, writing that these were the ‘best moments of my life’. That quote is rendered in mosaic in reception and the auteur’s favourite room, number 22 (he smoked opium in another), is decorated with one of his murals and an armchair showing one of his signature profiles. Opposite the hotel is the Cocteau-decorated Saint-Pierre des Pêcheurs Chapel – for which he was given a gold sardine by the local fishermen – and a car trip away, the Jean Cocteau Museum in Menton has a 1,000-strong Cocteau collection. But will you want to tear yourself away from walks to Cap Ferrat and tipples at the hotel’s wine pier? Dean Martin, Jeanne Moreau, Jack Warner, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor enjoyed its quiet charm – and Cary Grant and Debra Kerr filmed An Affair to Remember in town, while Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas blew up a yacht in the bay for scenes for The Jewel of the Nile. Both couples’ autographs are in the Welcome’s lobby.

https://www.welcomehotel.com

5. DAY FOR NIGHT (1973)
HOTEL BOSCOLO, NICE

Nice’s legendary Victorine Studios have been home to numerous films, including François Truffaut’s film-within-a-film classic dedicated to the Gish sisters. The auteur wanted to make the movie in ‘the spirit of friendship for all the people in the movie industry’, showing the tribulations of cast and crew in making a project (and starring as the director onscreen). Steven Speilberg loves it so much he programmed it during his TCM residency, saying it is ‘one of the most accurate portrayals of what it’s like to make one movie, telling one story, casting one film, where nothing goes right – which is so often the case’.

Though the interiors were filmed at Victorine, external shots travelled around the area: movie star Julie (Jacqueline Bisset) conducts a press conference at the entry point for most Cannes Film Festival visitors, the Côte d’Azur International Airport, and the cast of the fictional film stay at the Atlantic Hotel on boulevard Victor Hugo. Another Neoclassical wedding-cake by Charles Dalmas, it is now the Boscolo Nice and like Cannes’ Carlton, a listed national monument.

Julie and her cast would likely enjoy the loungers and view at the private Ruhl Beach, a ten-minute stroll from the hotel. Some of their mid-production angst might be tampered by the hydromassage tub and treatments in the 500-square-foot spa.

https://boscolocollection.com/nice/en

la piscine, villa ramatuelle, ramatuelle

6. LA PISCINE (1969)
VILLA RAMATUELLE, RAMATUELLE

The Cote d’Azur is one of the world’s finest backdrops for scenes of jealousy and lust, and this film steps up, making the swimming pool of a swanky villa the focus of a Gallic crime of passion starring Romy Schneider, Jane Birkin and Alain Delon. Capturing a fashion moment, with costumes and swimsuits by designer André Courrèges, it has been homaged by an ad campaign for Dior’s Eau Sauvage. The acting boasts a certain intensity, no doubt assisted by the fact that Delon and Schneider had been lovers – and that Delon’s infamous bodyguard Stevan Marković was found dead during the shoot. But part of the appeal of La Piscine is the role of the glamorous villa and pool as a setting for beautiful people misbehaving. A big hit, the film was so tantalising that Luca Guadagnino loosely based his A Bigger Splash on the project.

It was filmed almost entirely at a villa, Domaine de l’Oumède, in Ramatuelle, complete with covetable mid-century furniture and a view of the twinkling sea from beyond the ledge of the pool. The languid charm of toasting in the French sun wearing shades, a hand trailing the water like Delon, can be reenacted at various villas nestling on hills around the village. The Villa Ramatuelle has seven en-suite rooms and a large terrace and gardens, and the heated pool has a wine fridge in the pool house so lounging does not have to be disturbed.

https://www.akvillas.com/villa-ramatuelle

Words by OLIVER BENNETT and JANE CROWTHER
TO CATCH A THEIF
AND GOD CREATED WOMAN
UNDER THE CHERRY MOON
TESTAMENT OF ORPHEUS
DAY FOR NIGHT
LA PISCINE

Dispatches

AWARDS JOURNEY – PHOTOGRAPHING EMMA STONE

March 15, 2024

oscars dispatch, 96th academy awards 2024, los angeles, hollywood authentic

Photographs and words by GREG WILLIAMS

Over awards season I’ve been lucky enough to be commissioned by Louis Vuitton to shoot Emma Stone before every major awards event – and then I’ve gone on to photograph her at The Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice, BAFTAs and SAGs while covering the events. That journey culminated in her winning the Oscar for Best Actress at the Academy Awards and I wanted to take a moment to revisit the pictures I’ve taken during that time…

emma stone, oscars 2024, poor things, hollywood authentic, greg williams, oscars dispatch

emma stone, david beckham, carey mulligan, marcus mumford and bradley cooper, ee bafta film awards, greg williams, hollywood authentic

emma stone, poor things, golden globes, golden globe awards 2024, 81st golden globe awards

emma stone, sags 2024, poor things, hollywood authentic, greg williams, oscars dispatch

When you’re commissioned to shoot for a fashion brand the first job is to take pictures where the clothes look their best. But I suppose what I’m additionally looking for is seeing the person behind the personality. So we have this lovely collection of pictures now, fashion photos and then seeing the human too. The Oscars were particularly special. I tend to photograph a number of actors before award shows and the last shoot of the day was Emma, right next to where the actual ceremony takes place. So after our shoot I got to walk to the red carpet as well as being side-of-stage when she came off with her Oscar, which was presented by an incredibly esteemed group of previous Best Actress Oscar winners. Then afterwards, before she went out to the parties, I went and took more photos in the hotel corridor and in the car. It’s nice to now look back on that body of work as a portfolio of pictures.

michelle yeoh, charlize theron, emma stone, jennifer lawrence, sally field, oscars 2024, hollywood authentic, greg williams, oscars dispatch — Jessica Lange, Michelle Yeoh, Charlize Theron, Emma Stone, Jennifer Lawrence and Sally Field

The first pictures were taken before the Golden Globes at the beginning of January. They’re quite a nice example of the difference between commissioned pictures and the pictures that I take slightly more for myself. The first picture was used by Louis Vuitton – I can make the product look good, but I’m also getting that glint behind the eye, that authenticity is still coming through the pictures. But then there’s another example of a photo that you can look at and completely understand why Louis Vuitton might not choose it to showcase their beautiful clothes. You can barely see the dress, it’s at an odd angle; but it’s a lovely, alive, fun, playful picture of Emma. It’s right up there with my favourites from award season. I love how first person it is and how the audience looking at that picture feels like they’re beaming with the same sunshine. We were in the penthouse of The Sunset Tower Hotel and there was a fire escape ladder going up to the roof. It was a lovely prop for me to encourage Emma onto. Also the net curtains, both backlit and front lit, work really nicely.

emma stone, golden globe awards, 2024, greg williams, hollywood authentic

The next pictures were before the Critics’ Choice Awards. She was shielding her eyes because it was so bright. That wasn’t the picture that I had in mind – you try not to put your subjects in glaring light, but sometimes I quite like it because there’s something in those contrasts, the shapes and shadows. The pictures that the brand used were backlit.

emma stone, critics choice awards, 2024, greg williams, hollywood authentic

These shots before the BAFTAs are tons of fun, she was literally dancing in her room. In those situations, I very much encourage play, I try for it. My favourite quote, and one that we use in Hollywood Authentic Magazine, is Willy Wonka saying ‘A little nonsense now and then, is relished by the wisest men’. I try to bring a little nonsense to as many of my shoots as I possibly can.

emma stone, idris elba, ee bafta film awards, greg williams, hollywood authentic

emma stone, ee bafta film awards, greg williams, hollywood authentic

The shots taken for the SAGs show a natural beam, and you just sense Emma’s personality – that she’s a very down to earth, generous person. You just see that in those pictures.

emma stone, sag awards, 2024, greg williams, hollywood authentic

It all stepped up for the Oscars. This was shot for Louis Vuitton again and this is where the two jobs really collide. This shot is a fashion photo, but it’s not the expected one. We were going through these hotel back corridors to head to the red carpet and I happened on this closet where they keep all the towels and dressing gowns, and I loved all these hangers. It felt like a nod to ateliers and fashion.

Awards season is a marathon and it felt like Emma was coming to the end of the journey – regardless of whether she won – after many months running at this thing, it’s done. So there was definitely playfulness going in the lifts. What I was also doing was finding the shapes in the dress in a playful way that feels authentic to Emma. There was also a beautiful shot where Emma turned around, and she hit a piece of light just before she got to the red carpet.

Then I left her to walk the carpet, and I ran inside to shoot the awards. That’s when I’ve got a completely different hat on – a change from capturing portraits to being an event photographer. These photos are taken incredibly quickly – often I get a shot in just one frame. Someone will walk past me and I’ll literally just ‘click’ one frame and it’s just that look back or that reaction that I get. Even though it’s event reportage I’m still trying to deliver the Greg Williams viewpoint; spontaneous, authentic, giving the audience the sense that they’re there.

After Emma had won her award, she left the stage with these incredible past winners: Jennifer Lawrence, Charlize Theron, Sally Field, Jessica Lange and Michelle Yeoh. She’s won an Oscar and she’s surrounded by absolute titans of her field. And it’s just a really special moment. You’re also not in any control of anything at that stage, you really are the observer. I can ask people to look in the camera, but actually the nicest pictures are when they’re all cuddling, crying, emotional and hanging on to each other – not worrying about, or thinking about the photo for a second.

After the awards Emma changed into another Louis Vuitton look. And then I got these really joyful shots of her with her team, holding the Oscar and really having some fun posing with it. There’s a lovely shot of her sitting on the floor of the corridor and a beautiful one of her walking through, which is a perfect balance of what I want to achieve and what Louis Vuitton wanted.

emma stone, oscars 2024, poor things, hollywood authentic, greg williams, oscars dispatch, oscars special, cover

So what you’re seeing here is a number of hats being worn over the season; the fashion photographer, the personality photographer, the portraitist and the reportage photographer. I switch very rapidly between those, sometimes in split seconds. I’ll be hiding behind the camera, getting something quite beautiful, and then I’ll peek over the camera and pull a silly face, and suddenly I’ll get a shot of laughter or a shot of joy. That’s part of the game of being a photographer, being able to wear these different hats. There’s this lovely sentiment; when you take a portrait it’s not a picture of the person, it’s capturing the relationship between the photographer and the subject. That’s what I’m doing a lot of the time, because I have established relationships and I come away with a set of pictures that feel distinctively mine.

Photographs and words by Greg Williams

Dispatches

OSCARS 2024

March 15, 2024

Words by JANE CROWTHER
Photographs by GREG WILLIAMS

Awards season closed with an Academy Awards that was a who’s who roster of past recipients and powerhouse Hollywood talent. Twenty previous winners announced the four acting categories – each group leaving the stage as a gang with their latest inductee, a newly-formed club hanging out stage-side after each award. The community at the heart of acting was celebrated in this way, and also in a moment when the backstage team were brought centre-stage to celebrate the solidarity shown across the industry during the strikes earlier this year.

Da’Vine Joy Randolph was welcomed into the Best Supporting Actress community with Lupita Nyong’o, Jamie Leigh Curtis, Regina King, Mary Steenburgen and Rita Moreno championing each nominee in her category. Robert Downey Jr joined the best supporting actor club alongside Ke Huy Quan, Sam Rockwell, Tim Robbins, Christoph Waltz and Mahershala Ali; while his Oppenheimer castmate Cillian Murphy became a Best Actor winner with Forest Whitaker, Matthew McConaughey, Brendan Fraser, Nicolas Cage and Sir Ben Kingsley. Watching the show stage-side, the actors resembled Oscar statuettes as they stood together. The best actress category saw Emma Stone climb the podium to join Sally Field, Jessica Lange, Jennifer Lawrence, Michelle Yeoh and Charlize Theron.

regina king, da'vine joy randolph, lupita nyong'o, oscars 2024, hollywood authentic, greg williams, oscars dispatch — Jamie Lee Curtis, Mary Steenburgen, Regina King, Da’vine Joy Randolph, Lupita Nyong’o and Rita Moreno

robert downey jr, oscars-2024, hollywood authentic, greg williams, oscars dispatch — Robert Downey Jr.

steven spielberg, cillian murphy, oppenheimer, hollywood authentic, greg williams, oscars dispatch — Steven Spielberg and Cillian Murphy

It was Stone’s second Best Actress award but the evening was notable for its firsts. Winning was a first for Robert Downey Jr (after three nominations), for Christopher Nolan as director, he and his producer wife Emma Thomas for Best Film, and for a British film to win Best International Film with Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone Of Interest. Matthew McConaughey waiting in the wings after Nolan’s win gave him a heartfelt congratulatory hug.

Family was also a theme of the night, especially as the date was Mothers’ Day in the UK. Bradley Cooper brought his Mom as his plus-one while Martin Scorsese attended with his daughter, Francesca. Best original screenplay winner Justine Triet in a sparkling Louis Vuitton suit noted her and her co-writer partner Arthur Harari juggled diapers and lockdown during their writing of Anatomy Of A Fall, Stone talked of her toddler daughter turning her life ‘technicolour’ and Nolan thanked his wife and producing partner Thomas – ‘producer of all our films and all of our children’.

christopher nolan, oscars 2024, hollywood authentic, greg williams, oscars dispatch — Christopher Nolan and Matthew McConaughey

jonathan glazer, oscars 2024 — Jonathan Glazer

martin scorsese, oscars 2024, hollywood authentic, greg williams, oscars dispatch — Martin and Francesca Scorsese

justine triet, oscars 2024, hollywood authentic, greg williams, oscars dispatch — Justine Triet and Arthur Harari

Meanwhile, Sean Lennon, exec producer of best animated short, War Is Over, asked the audience to wish his mother, Yoko, a happy birthday and Mother’s Day. It was also a family affair for Billie Eilish, in houndstooth Chanel, and her songwriter brother Finneas O’Connell, whose performance of Barbie’s What Was I Made For? electrified the room and won the siblings their second Oscar for best original song.

cynthia erivo, finneas, billie eilish, ariana grande, oscars 2024 — Cynthia Erivo, FINNEAS, Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande

Their competition, Mark Ronson’s ‘I’m Just Ken’, may not have taken gold but Ryan Gosling’s full-throttle rendition of the song while wearing a custom pink Gucci suit involved the entire auditorium and featured many of the movie’s Kens, including Ncuti Gatwa and Kingsley Ben-Adir. It was a measure of the top-drawer nature of the show that Slash showed up to perform the guitar solo. It was one of many moments that demonstrated the star wattage wielded by the event – with iconic filmmakers and performers appearing together to remind movie fans of past classics or tease of future collaborations. Furiosa’s Chris Hemsworth and Anya Taylor Joy (in silver Dior); The Fall Guy’s Emily Blunt, shimmering in cream Schiaparelli, and Ryan Gosling; Beetlejuice 2 stars Michael Keaton and Catherine O’Hara; Twins co-stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito (both jested with Keaton over Batman) and Wicked’s Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo in character–appropriate gowns – Grande in pink Giambattista Valli and Erivo in structural green leather from Louis Vuitton. Zendaya, currently starring in the world’s number one movie, added further star power in Armani Prevé.

mark ronson, oscars 2024, hollywood authentic, greg williams, oscars dispatch — Mark Ronson

Ncuti Gatwa, Kingsley Ben Adir, oscars 2024, hollywood authentic, greg williams, oscars dispatch — Ncuti Gatwa and Kingsley Ben-Adir

anya taylor-joy, chris hemsworth, hollywood authentic, greg williams, oscars dispatch — Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth

slash, oscars 2024, hollywood authentic, greg williams, oscars dispatch — Slash

emily blunt, oscars 2024, hollywood authentic, greg williams, oscars dispatch — Emily Blunt and John Krasinski

danny devito, arnold schwarzenegger — Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger

zendaya, oscars 2024, dune part ii, hollywood authentic, greg williams, oscars dispatch — Zendaya

Nolan’s win felt all the more resonant for being handed out by multi-award nominated Steven Spielberg, who gamely played along with jokes by Kate McKinnon. But when it came to addressing world events, the show did not shy away. Jonathan Glazer made an impassioned speech about the Gaza/Israeli conflict, Cillian Murphy (in Versace) dedicated his award to ‘all the peacekeepers in the world’, Mstyslav Chernov, feature documentary winner for 20 Days In Mariupol, reduced the audience to silence with his speech about Ukraine. Host Jimmy Kimmel addressed US politics when he read out a social media review of the show by Donald Trump. “Isn’t it past your jail time?” he responded.

The night’s big win belonged to Oppenheimer presented by Al Pacino, with Emma Thomas confessing to having ‘dreamt of this moment for so long’ as she accepted Best Picture and praised the team surrounding her, including Florence Pugh in silver bejewelled Del Core. The cast and filmmakers hugged backstage, dazzled by the amount of gongs in hands.

florence pugh, oscars 2024, hollywood authentic, greg williams, oscars dispatch — Florence Pugh

jimmy kimmel, john cena, oscars 2024 — Jimmy Kimmel and John Cena

An impressive, slick show that re-established the Academy’s dominance in awards season, presided over by four-time presenter and ultimate pro Kimmel, the 96th Oscars closed out as a true celebration of cinema and its stars – putting the difficulties of the past year firmly in the rear view window.

ryan gosling, barbie, what was i made for?, oscars 2024, hollywood authentic, greg williams, oscars dispatch — Ryan Gosling

AWARDS

Best Film: Oppenheimer

Best Director: Christopher Nolan

Best Actress: Emma Stone

Best Actor: Cillian Murphy

Best Supporting Actress: Da’Vine Joy Randolph

Best Supporting Actor: Robert Downey Jr

Best International Feature Film: The Zone Of Interest

Best Animated short: War Is Over

Best Animated Film: The Boy And The Heron

Best Original Screenplay: Anatomy Of A Fall

Best adapted Screenplay: American Fiction

Best Makeup and hair styling: Poor Things

Best Production Design: Poor Things

Best Costumes: Poor Things

Best visual effects: Godzilla Minus 1

Best Film editing: Oppenheimer

Best documentary short: The Last Repair Shop

Best documentary film: 20 Days In Mariupol

Best cinematography: Oppenheimer

Best Live Action short: The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar

Best Sound: Zone Of Interest

Best original score: Oppenheimer

Best song: What Was I Made For?

Words by Jane Crowther
Photographs by Greg Williams

Gongs/Premieres

AWARDS JOURNEY – PHOTOGRAPHING EMMA STONE

March 13, 2024

Photographs and words by Greg Williams

The shots taken for the SAGs show a natural beam, and you just sense Emma’s personality – that she’s a very down to earth, generous person. You just see that in those pictures.

Photographs and words by Greg Williams

Gongs/Premieres

OSCARS 2024

March 13, 2024

Words by Jane Crowther
Photographs by Greg Williams

AWARDS

Best Film: Oppenheimer

Best Director: Christopher Nolan

Best Actress: Emma Stone

Best Actor: Cillian Murphy

Best Supporting Actress: Da’Vine Joy Randolph

Best Supporting Actor: Robert Downey Jr

Best International Feature Film: The Zone Of Interest

Best Animated short: War Is Over

Best Animated Film: The Boy And The Heron

Best Original Screenplay: Anatomy Of A Fall

Best adapted Screenplay: American Fiction

Best Makeup and hair styling: Poor Things

Best Production Design: Poor Things

Best Costumes: Poor Things

Best visual effects: Godzilla Minus 1

Best Film editing: Oppenheimer

Best documentary short: The Last Repair Shop

Best documentary film: 20 Days In Mariupol

Best cinematography: Oppenheimer

Best Live Action short: The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar

Best Sound: Zone Of Interest

Best original score: Oppenheimer

Best song: What Was I Made For?

Words by Jane Crowther
Photographs by Greg Williams

Gongs/Premieres

SAG AWARDS 2024

February 26, 2024

hollywood authentic, sag dispatch, screen actors guild awards 2024, los angeles

the cast of succession, sag awards, 2024, greg williams, hollywood authentic — The cast of *Succession*

The 30th Screen Actors Guild Awards mark another step towards Oscars in awards season – and Hollywood Authentic was there on the dove grey carpet and inside the ballroom for all the drama… As the actors gathered at LA’s Shrine Auditorium on Saturday afternoon, the mood was more celebratory than usual given the tumultuous year the voting body, SAG-AFTRA, have had since the last awards ceremony. After months of crippling strikes, this event felt like a moment to not only congratulate specific talent in awards categories but the acting community as a whole for being able to return to film and TV sets after fraught negotiations through the end of 2023.

brendan fraser, cillian murphy, sag awards, greg williams, hollywood authentic — Brendan Fraser and Cillian Murphy

It was something a luxuriantly-bearded Kenneth Branagh touched on when he and his castmates got on stage to accept the award for outstanding performance by a film cast for Oppenheimer, recalling how the London premiere for the film in July coincided with the strike beginning. “We all walked off the carpet and stood in solidarity with the union. We didn’t get to see the film.”

Oppenheimer’s awards sweep continued with Best Actor and Supporting Actor gongs going to Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. While Murphy thanked the names on his call sheet (“you made me brave, guys”), Downey Jr joked that he would “never grow tired of the sound of my own voice”. Though both men were expected winners in their categories (adding to their awards collection that will surely mean triumph at the incoming Oscars), there was history made with Best Actress winner, Killers Of The Flower Moon star, Lily Gladstone. As the first indigenous winner to take home the accolade, Gladstone arrived at the podium in a red, fringed Armani Prive gown and spoke in her Blackfoot language before tearfully expressing her unity with her fellow actors. “This has been a hard year for all of us. Those in this room, those not in this room, I’m so proud that we have gotten here in solidarity with all of our other unions.”

lily gladstone, sag awards, 2024, greg williams, hollywood authentic — Lily Gladstone

The Last Of Us star Pedro Pascal was so unprepared for a win as Best Actor in a drama series that he admitted to having got drunk on the table booze (including Taittinger champagne) when he got on stage. He was seated next to black-lace clad Jessica Chastain (in Armani) during a dinner of salmon, with a pie station available for dessert. Most actors abandoned their plates to mingle before the ceremony began: Anne Hathaway in cobalt Versace chatting to Glen Powell wearing a brown Brioni tux, Margot Robbie maneuvering her statement pink bow dress by Schiaparelli around the gold chairs, Pedro Pascal catching up with Billie Eilish (who autographed Melissa McCarthy’s forehead in an on-stage skit), Brie Larson talking with Jodie Foster and Oprah Winfrey regal in on-theme violet on The Color Purple table. Hannah Waddington showed other guests her cardboard clutch bag, created by her daughter and featuring crayoned ‘Epic’ designs.

pedro pascal, the last of us, sag awards, 2024, greg williams, hollywood authentic — Pedro Pascal

All awards show need a presenter talking point – Michael J Fox’s arrival at last week’s BAFTAs being one – and the SAGs reunited the cast of The Devil Wears Prada 18 years after the film’s release as Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Meryl Streep handed out the Best Actor in a comedy series gong. As Streep opened the winners envelope, Blunt quoted one of her killer lines from the film to the delight of the audience; “by all means, move at a glacial pace – you know how that thrills me.” Social media noted that Hathaway’s dress tone was a nod to Streep’s waspish line about ‘cerulean blue’ from the movie… Also reuniting, 21 years after the release of The Lord Of The Rings trilogy, were hobbits Elijah Wood and Sean Astin, as they presented The Holdovers star Da’Vine Joy Randolph, wearing champagne silk, with best supporting actress.

Succession had dominated other awards events this season and they took home the cast top honours in drama, but it was Elizabeth Debicki who won Best Actress in a drama series for her depiction of Princess Diana in The Crown. The Bear nabbed Best Actor and Best Actress in a comedy series for Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri, while Beef co-stars Ali Wong and Steven Yuen cleaned up as Best Actor and Actress in a limited series.

meryl streep, jeremy allen white, emily blunt, anne hathaway, sag awards, 2024, greg williams, hollywood authentic — Meryl Streep, Jeremy Allen White , Emily Blunt, Anne Hathaway

da’vine joy randolph, the holdovers, sag awards, 2024, greg williams, hollywood authentic — Da’vine Joy Randolph

glen powell, ali wong, sag awards, 2024, greg williams, hollywood authentic — Glen Powell and Ali Wong

ayo edebiri, sag awards, 2024, greg williams, hollywood authentic — Ayo Edebiri

The event was closed out by the lifetime achievement award going to Barbra Streisand, dressed in black and gold complete with beret, and greeted with a standing ovation and laughter as she told the ballroom that she was thrilled to have known about the award in advance so she didn’t have to put on a happy face when someone else won. She went to talk about her first crush, Marlon Brando, and thanked the assembled actors for giving her so much joy on-screen.

As the after-party continued before guest headed to other soirees across town, everyone no doubt had their eye on the next awards show in the calendar. Only two weeks to go before Hollywood does it all over again at the 96th Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre…

ryan gosling, sag awards, 2024, greg williams, hollywood authentic — Ryan Gosling

aaron paul, bryan cranston, sag awards, 2024, greg williams, hollywood authentic — Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston

WINNERS:

FILM

Outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture – Oppenheimer

Outstanding performances by a female actor in a leading role – Lily Gladstone

Outstanding performance by a male actor in a leading role – Cillian Murphy

Outstanding performance by a female actor in a supporting role – Da’Vine Joy Randolph

Outstanding performances by a male actor in a supporting role – Robert Downey Jr

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture – Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series – Succession

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series – The Bear

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series – Elizabeth Debecki

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series – Pedro Pascal

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series – Ayo Edebiri

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series – Jeremy Allen White

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series – Ali Wong

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series – Steven Yuen

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series – The Last Of Us

Words by Jane Crowther
Photographs by Greg Williams

Gongs/Premieres

BAFTA AWARDS 2024

February 19, 2024

Hollywood Authentic hit the red carpet, ceremony and parties at this year’s EE BAFTA awards – join us for a recap on the fun from the South Bank’s Royal Festival Hall.

The festivities kicked off with a proposal at 2pm as an early-arriving guest popped the question and host David Tennant took to the carpet to greet waiting fans as the cars began arriving. It was a family affair for many of the nominees; Emily Blunt, dressed in gold-beaded Elie Saab, arrived with her parents, as did Paul Mescal (plus his siblings) while Christopher Nolan brought along his teen son, Magnus. The red carpet was soon filled with talent taking the opportunity to greet each other and admire the performances that had impressed voters; and in the case of Mescal (rocking Cartier lapel diamonds), get star struck by David Beckham.

Florence Pugh (in Harris Reed with statement Boucheron jewels) embraced Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Bradley Cooper (long-line Louis Vuitton) and Carey Mulligan high-fived, the Chicken Run 2 team carried maquettes of their characters in fowl evening wear while Emma Stone, wearing custom Louis Vuitton, Margot Robbie and Emily Blunt swapped news. As nominees and guests mingled, Hannah Waddington prepared for her mid-show number by dancing to the DJ with Colman Domingo while they waited to be snapped by press photographers. Plum-coloured fits were a theme with Cate Blanchett arriving in burgundy Louis Vuitton, Daisy Edgar-Jones in wine Gucci hotpants, Lashana Lynch embellished in maroon Prada, Josh Hartnett head-to-toe in claret and Ryan Gosling giving his custom Gucci white suit a raspberry trim.

florence pugh, emily blunt, ee bafta film awards, greg williams, hollywood authentic — Florence Pugh and Emily Blunt

The festive mood continued inside as guests sipped Taittinger over three floors, Gillian Anderson admiring Taylor Russell’s white Loewe gown as attendees found their seats, and Liliput the Maltese terrier getting ready backstage for her show opener with Tennant. He promised the ceremony would be as ‘smooth as Ken’s chest’ and with a back-to-basics plan after last-year’s breakout sofa chats, the gongs were handed out in a brisk running time – including Sophie Ellis Bexter’s barnstorming rendition of ‘Murder On The Dancefloor’ from Saltburn.

Leading the nominations race (with 13), Oppenheimer cleaned up – taking home 7 accolades including best film, director, actor and supporting actor, while Poor Things netted 5 including best actress. Holocaust drama The Zone Of Interest also won big with three category triumphs.

Positioned at the side of stage, Hollywood Authentic founder Greg Williams captured the winners exclusively as they left the spotlight, BAFTA masks in hand. ”The coolest trophy by far!” exclaimed adapted screenplay winner, Cord Jefferson, while EE Rising star winner Mia McKenna-Bruce giddily admitted she was so stunned that had no idea what she’d said in her speech as last year’s recipient Emma McKay fanned her with the award envelope.

cillian murphy, cate blanchett, ee bafta film awards, greg williams, hollywood authentic — Cillian Murphy and Cate Blanchett

Putting himself in good stead to win at Oscar, Robert Downey Jr. took home the supporting actor mask for Oppenheimer (but only after signing for it backstage) 31 years after winning for Chaplin, telling the audience “the entirety of my life story in 30 seconds‘’ and that Christopher Nolan had suggested he “attempt an understated approach as a last ditch effort to perhaps resurrect my dwindling credibility” with the role.

He was followed onstage by The Holdovers star Da’Vine Joy Randolph, winning best supporting actress and continuing to dominate this category during awards season. Tears threatened as she praised her co-star Paul Giamatti and reminded viewers that her character in the film served as “a beautiful reminder of how her story has rippled through the world.”

After Samantha Morton received a fellowship award for her decades-long career (feted via video by Tom Cruise), Cillian Murphy continued the Oppenheimer sweep with a Best Actor win presented by last year’s Best Actress winner, Cate Blanchett. Heralding his “Oppen-homies” and the “most dynamic, decent, kindest producer-director partnership in Hollywood” in Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, he waited in the wings to see the outcome of the Best Film category. Before that Emma Stone bagged Best Actress from Idris Elba, keeping the family theme going in her speech by thanking her mom for making her “believe this crazy idea I could do something like this” and also for giving her life. A joke that played well in the auditorium but also backstage when the Oppenheimer team came off for their Best Film win and Emily Blunt told Stone how much she’d enjoyed her speech.

chiwetel ejiofor, da'vine joy randolph, ee bafta film awards, greg williams, hollywood authentic — Chiwetel Ejiofor and Da’Vine Joy Randolph

Robert downey jr., ee bafta film awards, greg williams, hollywood authentic — Robert Downey Jr.

While the team embraced and handed the award to each other, Blunt’s proud dad held her handbag and congratulated Waddington on her soulful rendition of “Time After Time” during the in memoriam section. The closing category was particularly memorable for the surprise arrival of presenter Michael J Fox, who was touched to receive a standing ovation. His wife Tracy Pollen waited backstage to congratulate the star on his speech, especially courageous as he continues to struggle with Parkinson’s. As he stood at the podium he enthused; “There’s a reason why they say movies are magic – cos movies can change your day, change your outlook, they can sometimes even change your life”.

Racing to the green room for a celebratory photo, the Oppenheimer team then hit the dinner downstairs as guests at tables decorated to represent the Best Film nominees were served a starter of six root bhaji and roast carrot, a chicken caesar main with triple cooked chips and a toffee chocolate dessert with vanilla mascarpone and a tiny chocolate BAFTA mask. As glasses clinked, Ayo Edebiri and Emma Corrin chatted on the stars, Hannah Waddington and Michael Sheen caught up at a table as Daisy Edgar Jones and Paul Mescal had a Normal People reunion. Stone changed into a monochrome dress with candy-stripe shoulders for her dinner and she wasn’t the only one swapping looks as the parties kicked off across town.

Florence Pugh slipped into David Koma white lace to take in the Universal celebration party for Oppenheimer at the Nomad Hotel in Covent Garden before stopping by the British Vogue and Tiffany afterparty at Annabel’s alongside her co-star Robert Downey Jr., who’d changed his formal black shirt for a Sex Pistols t-shirt. Also in attendance were Anna Wintour (in trademark sunglasses), Dua Lipa, Anya Taylor Joy, Emily Blunt, Rosamund Pike, Clare Foy, Sophie Ellis Bexter, Andrew Scott, Idris Elba, Da’vine Joy Randolph and Emerald Fennell.

michael j. fox, ee bafta film awards, greg williams, hollywood authentic — Michael J. Fox

paul mescal, andrew scott, ee bafta film awards, greg williams, hollywood authentic — Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott

emma corrin, holly waddington, ee bafta film awards, greg williams, hollywood authentic — Emma Corrin and Holly Waddington

jack o'connell, mia mckenna-bruce, emma mackey, ee bafta film awards, greg williams, hollywood authentic — Jack O’Connell, Mia Mckenna-Bruce and Emma Mackey

The celebrations continued at the now-legendary Netflix party at The Chiltern Firehouse where Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott (in red Berluti) continued their awards season bromance, Hannah Waddington and Sophie Ellis Bexter swapped performance notes and Emma Stone and Bradley Cooper hung out. They were joined by a who’s who from cinema, including Phoebe Dynevor, J.A. Bayona, Idris Elba, Regé-Jean Page, Teo Yoo, Rosamund Pike, Callum Turner, Archie Madekwe, Lily James and Keegan-Michael Key (still heroically wearing a pristine tux). The merriment went on long into small hours…

WINNERS:

Best Film – Oppenheimer

Outstanding British Film – The Zone Of Interest

Best Director – Christopher Nolan

Outstanding Debut By By British Writer, Director Or Producer – Earth Mama

Film Not In The English Language – The Zone Of Interest

Best Documentary – 20 Days In Mariupol

Best Animated Film – The Boy And The Heron

Best Original Screenplay – Anatomy Of A Fall

Best Adapted Screenplay – American Fiction

Best Leading Actress – Emma Stone

Best Leading Actor – Cillian Murphy

Best Supporting Actress – Da’Vine Joy Randolph

Best Supporting Actor – Robert Downey Jr

Best Casting – The Holdovers

Best Cinematography – Oppenheimer

Best Editing – Oppenheimer

Best Costume – Poor Things

Best Original Score – Oppenheimer

Best Production Design – Poor Things

Best Sound – The Zone Of Interest

Best Visual Effects – Poor Things

Best British Short Film – Jellyfish And Lobster

EE Rising Star – Mia McKenna-Bruce

Words by Jane Crowther
Photographs by Greg Williams

Diner

METEORA

May 11, 2024

Talking Pictures

TAYLOR & DEAN

May 11, 2024

Space Odyssey

SILVER SCREEN DREAM

May 11, 2024

On Location

RIVIERA CHIC

May 9, 2024

Dispatches

AWARDS JOURNEY – PHOTOGRAPHING EMMA STONE

March 15, 2024

Dispatches

OSCARS 2024

March 15, 2024

Gongs/Premieres

AWARDS JOURNEY – PHOTOGRAPHING EMMA STONE

March 13, 2024

Gongs/Premieres

OSCARS 2024

March 13, 2024

Gongs/Premieres

SAG AWARDS 2024

February 26, 2024

Gongs/Premieres

BAFTA AWARDS 2024

February 19, 2024

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