What You Didnt See On TV At The 2020 Oscars
Los Angeles' Dolby Theater saw a lot of firsts at the 92nd Academy Awards, which aired on February 9, 2020. Brad Pitt finally won his first ever Oscar for acting. Zack Gottsagen became the first person with down syndrome to present at the Academy Awards. Joker composer Hildur Guðnadóttir became the first woman to win best original score since categories were combined in 2000. And Bong Joon-ho's Parasite — with its sweeping wins — became the first Asian film to win best original screenplay and the first film not in the English language to win the night's biggest prize: best picture. Despite the flurry of firsts, the rest of the 2020 Oscars was pretty much business as usual...you know, generally lacking in recognition of women and people of color, which garnered some pretty heated criticism from folks like Joaquin Phoenix, among others. If anything, the perplexed looks on the audience's faces during Eminem's performance made watching the televised broadcast completely worth it, but the best stuff still happened away from the televised broadcast.
Behind the scenes of the Oscars, A-listers drank, dined, cried, and photobombed, while social media went wild trying to be part of the action. Grab yourself a turkey sandwich — which is now the official food of the Oscars behind Leonardo DiCaprio's vegan pizza — and gear up for the ultimate tea. Here's what you didn't see on TV at the 2020 Oscars.
Miley Cyrus almost ran into Liam Hemsworth while pre-partying in the USA
Well that would've been pretty awkward. Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth, who in August of 2019 ended their decade-long relationship after less than a year of marriage, allegedly hit up the same pre-Oscars party. Is there anything worse than running into your ex when you're just trying to have a good time? What about running into your ex while your divorce is finalized but still pending? Cringey.
According to TMZ, the pair both showed up to the WME party on Friday night. At least Cyrus could stress eat the all-vegan menu thanks to Joaquin Phoenix, but she apparently didn't need to. An alleged source told People that the exes brushing elbows was no really big deal, and the pair didn't even speak. "The party was packed, and it wasn't awkward for Miley that Liam was there. She was with her parents and friends," the source revealed, adding that Cyrus has "no regrets" and is focused on her relationship with Cody Simpson. Okay, what about our man Liam Hemsworth, though? He's reportedly dating Gabrielle Brooks, but if he still needs a shoulder to cry on, there are probably plenty of fans who are very available.
Natalie Portman told off the Academy with a fashion accessory
Unless you were squinting or using advanced, CSI-level zoom-and-enhance technology, it was probably pretty hard to catch the true meaning of Natalie Portman's red carpet look on television. The Black Swan star wore a stunning Dior gown with a floor-length cape and gold detailing, but from far away, all you could see was the sparkle. Up close, however, it was clear Portman came to the Oscars to give the Academy a middle finger — without actually lifting a finger at all.
In a Twitter video shared by Los Angeles Times reporter Amy Kaufman, Portman explained how the gold detailing on the left lapel of her cape spelled out the names of female directors who were snubbed by the Academy, despite their critical acclaim. Not a single woman was nominated for best director this time around, including Greta Gerwig, whose adaptation of Little Women was nominated for best picture. "I wanted to recognize the women who were not recognized for their incredible work this year in my subtle way," Portman said.
According to People, only five women have ever been nominated for best director in the award show's 92-year history. Apparently, 2020 was not the year that was going to change, but bless the white swan for her subtle act of resistance.
Julia Butters brought her own turkey sandwich
Tiffany Haddish isn't the only one bringing her own poultry to the red carpet — that's right, she actually packed an emergency bag of chicken to the Met Gala in 2019. Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood's breakout star Julia Butters took a page from the comedian's playbook and packed her own turkey sandwich for the awards show, infringing on the Academy's vegan slanted menu. Why? Life's too short to eat bad food. According to Los Angeles Times reporter Amy Kaufman, Butters admitted that she packed the sandwich in her $2,495 Marzook purse because she didn't "like some of the food" there. Did she splurge for a little more than Wonder Bread now that she's a star? Did someone cut off the crusts? We need some answers to these important questions!
Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood ended up winning just two of its 10 nominations. But while Butters didn't receive a single nod for her breakout role in the film, it's clearly only a matter of time. The 10-year-old star is undeniably bold, which was apparent from her Variety interview back in July 2019, when she unabashadley admitted that she didn't know Brad Pitt for anything other than being handsome. Hopefully, that's changed since his best supporting actor win, but you can't fault a girl for speaking her mind.
America Ferrera brought her warrior spirit to the red carpet
America Ferrera and her baby bump hit the red carpet with a powerful message to mark the end of the How to Train Your Dragon franchise. The only thing more powerful than a pregnant woman on the red carpet is a pregnant warrior on the red carpet, and Ferrera embodied the warriors of her past with a custom made Jennifer Behr headband. As it turns out, this type of strength has been coursing through the actress veins long before she ever voiced Astrid.
In an Instagram post, Ferrera admitted she was paying homage to her ancestors — who were part of an indigenous tribe in Honduras — at the Academy Awards. The star's halo-style headband served as a nod to their traditional headwear, which she showed in a side-by-side comparison. "#Oscars for the final farewell to 12 years of How to Train Your Dragon & my Berkian Warrior Queen Astrid," she wrote, posing in a cranberry-colored gown. "Tonight, I bring my own warrior ancestors with me, the indigenous Lenca tribe of Honduras."
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, which was nominated for best animated film, ultimately lost to Toy Story 4. But just because you lose the battle doesn't mean you've lost the war.
Shia LaBoeuf outraged Twitter with a smirk
Apparently Shia LaBoeuf can't really go 15 minutes without causing controversy — whether he's yelling in front of a green screen or getting arrested for public intoxication. It seems like his mere existence is always at full volume. This may even include his personal odor — well, if he really didn't shower for weeks while filming David Ayer's 2014 war film Fury like the tabloids claimed. All that said, he certainly appeared to be completely well-groomed at the 2020 Academy Awards, where he managed to cause an outright Twitter frenzy.
LaBoeuf attended the awards ceremony with Zack Gottsagen, his co-star from The Peanut Butter Falcon and his newfound BFF. E! News even spotted the pair holding hands on the red carpet. Later, they both presented the award for best live-action short, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, Gottsagen became first ever person with down syndrome to present at the Academy Awards. It was a monumental moment, even if Gottsagen struggled to read his prompts, but LaBoeuf just had to make a face. It happens to the best of us.
According to the New York Post, Twitter was immediately flooded with users accusing LaBoeuf of snickering at his co-star. One user wrote, "Shia LeBeouf [sic] literally laughed at a kid with special needs ... wtf." Another claimed LaBeouf was "cancelled." Though the face was indeed a face, it's pretty unlikely that it was filled with any malicious intent. That's because we know what the haters must have missed — in August 2019, LaBeouf credited Gottsagen for his newfound sobriety. Look Twitter, this friendship runs deep. Go cancel yourselves instead.
Joaquin Phoenix cried backstage after his massive win
Joaquin Phoenix's night lived up to all of our expectations. Since the nominations were announced, the Joker star was a frontrunner for winning the best actor Oscar and ultimately took home the top prize. He boldly used his acceptance speech to take a stand against injustice across the board — from racism, sexism, and cancel culture to animal and indiginous rights. He only appeared to crack once during the emotional speech, but the star reportedly got even more weepy backstage after the cameras stopped rolling.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Phoenix broke down in tears as Oscars staff helped him "find a moment of quiet" before heading to the media circus awaiting him and the other winners. Once he got there, he was still all welled up, so Jane Fonda "lovingly" placed "a hand on his cheek" — we can all agree that Jane Fonda would probably be the most comforting celebrity ever, right? Moments later, Phoenix looked at his Oscar and questioned whether or not he deserved it. "Now, whose is this?" he said. Okay, now we're crying, too.
Julianne Moore watched the Oscars from a gay bar
Julianne Moore walked a red carpet on Oscars night. It just wasn't the red carpet, and there was no wardrobe mishap like in 2015, because she was wearing a comfy winter coat. The Academy Award winner didn't attend the actual awards show (been there, done that) but she did cheer on her peers from the comfort of her own hometown.
In an Instagram post, the Still Alice star revealed that she was watching the ceremony with her daughter Liv Freundlich at the iconic gay bar Julius'. It's one of the oldest in New York City and happens to be conveniently located steps from the actress' massive West Village townhouse. "NYC red carpet with my date @livfreundlich," she wrote. "Happy #oscars everybody. I have a lot of friends nominated tonight for their exquisite work this year — sending them all love — I'm watching and cheering you on!!"
In addition to shouting out all of her friends, Moore also used an Instagram Story to personally congratulate Laura Dern, who won the award for best supporting actress for her role in A Marriage Story, and who attended the awards with her mother, Hollywood legend Diane Ladd. We're officially campaigning for Moore to host from Julius' in 2021. Hollywood is overrated anyway, right?
How busy is the Oscars bar?
There's one big Oscars question that no amount of televised awards can answer: which stars are getting totally lit behind the scenes? The Academy Awards aren't really known for being an alcohol-fueled bash, probably because they're trying to avoid a situation like Kanye West at the 2009 MTV VMAs – who could forget when the rapper left that awards show with a decade-spanning feud and what was likely a pretty awful hangover? Nonetheless, hours-long awards show means hours worth of booze, and some stars definitely enjoy a glass or two as a treat.
According to E! News, Gal Gadot and her husband Yaron Varsano "made a beeline towards the bar" upon entering. Gadot grabbed popcorn while Varsano waited for the drinks. The Wonder Woman actress later joined her fellow superhero Captain Marvel better known to mortals as Brie Larson — to present an award with Ripley herself, Sigourney Weaver.
Selma Hayek, Billy Porter, and Maya Rudolph were also reportedly enjoying some of the hard stuff. According to E! News, Hayek opted for tequila with lime, while Porter sipped on champagne. The Los Angeles Times reports that Rudolph was spotted ditching a "small empty bottle of tequila" in the trash backstage while saying, "Tossy! Go bye-bye." Cheers to the idea of doing tequila shots with an SNL legend!
Stars perfected the art of the photobomb
For an awards show that was severely lacking in Jennifer Lawrence, there were sure a lot of photobombs. Clearly, everyone was having a great night, including Timothée Chalamet and Margot Robbie. The former appeared in Little Women, which received six nominations and took home the award for best costume design. The latter was in two Academy Award-nominated films: Bombshell and Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood. Who cares if she technically lost out on winning the best supporting actress award for her role as Kayla Pospisil in Bombshell? Robbie a star, and Chalamet just couldn't help but photobomb her on the red carpet. Variety captured a video of the Little Women actor jumping into Robbie's shot as she grabbed his face, smiled, and then promptly pushed him away.
According to E! News, Rami Malek also got in on the photobombing action. He apparently popped into a selfie with Charlize Theron, Salma Hayek, Regina King, Tom Hanks, and Rita Wilson. Let's pray to the show-biz gods that someone puts this photo online.
James Corden finally admitted his 'Cats' costume was ridiculous
For everyone who was absolutely gutted that the dystopian CGI hellscape of Cats somehow avoided a nomination, James Cordon and Rebel Wilson still managed to at least momentarily transform the awards show into the Jellicle ball. The pair appeared in full-on Cats costumes while presenting the Oscar for best visual effects. Sam Mendes' Word War I epic 1917 took home the visual effects prize, despite some heavy competition from the likes of Avengers: Endgame and the all-CG Lion King remake. See? A movie filled with cats can get an Academy Award nomination.
Despite which Tom Hooper-directed musical may or may not have been robbed, one thing is clear: Cats is so ridiculous that even Corden thinks so. According to the Los Angeles Times, he said as much backstage while showing off his outfit to Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph. Rudolph reportedly thought his hat "made" the whole look, and Corden told the Oscars' two producers, who stopped to take a photo, that they'd "need a lint roller afterwards."
The Oscars only went sort of vegan
The Oscars weren't quite the same all-vegan affair as the Golden Globes, but the Academy still put a heavy emphasis on plant-based food. It just wasn't all the way there. Joaquin Phoenix certainly tried his best, between successfully convincing Hollywood agency WME to ditch meat at their pre-Oscars bash, according to Page Six, and his acceptance speech, which railed against the evils of cow milk.
This time around, the Oscars went 70 percent vegan for their official after party. According to E! News, the Governors Ball is historically catered by Wolfgang Puck, who crafted a menu in partnership with 11 local farms around Southern California. Refinery29 reports that the menu boasted more than 40 vegan and vegetarian offerings among the limited fish and meat options. This included eggplant caponata on grilled crostini, winter spice French toast, sweet potato tempura, and compressed watermelon with housemade cashew ricotta.
If vegan food isn't your thing — and you happened to be the kind of person who's invited to the Oscars and famous enough to complain about the food — the menu also included meaty bites like mini wagyu burgers, Jidori poussin chicken and waffles, and black truffle chicken pot pies. As good as that sounds, you'd probably have to eat knowing you're disappointing Leonardo DiCaprio, which feels unfathomable to normal folks like us. According to Hollywood Life, Puck also included the same vegan pizza he made for the SAG Awards because it was a major hit with the star. He may not have won an Oscar this year, but apparently his menu-influencing game can't be beat.