Sunday night’s 28th annual Critics Choice Awards once again brought together a star-studded group of nominees across TV and film, but some of the best moments of the Century City-based show didn’t make it to air. With The Hollywood Reporter inside the room, here are the top things the TV cameras didn’t show.
Covid Strikes Back
“I hope this isn’t a superspreader — I heard that the Globes was a bit of a superspreader, that’s the word on the street,” Natasha Lyonne mused to THR on the carpet, and indeed several big names who had been at Tuesday’s show — including Jamie Lee Curtis, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson — had to miss Critics Choice after testing positive.
Kerry Condon was left to hold it down for The Banshees of Inisherin team, revealing that co-star Barry Keoghan and her brother, who was supposed to be her date for the event, were also “stuck down.”
“I’m a good girl, I’ve been to bed early and been not drinking, been doing all the oregano,” she joked, adding, “You know what, I’m sick of it. I actually want to say, on the record, I hope people are getting tested for STDs as much as they’re getting for COVID. Just putting that out there, as the new Fauci.”
Christina Applegate’s Red Carpet Return
The Dead to Me star made her first appearance at a Hollywood event since her multiple sclerosis diagnosis, as co-star James Marsden said he was “very happy about that. We’ll have a great time just there to support each other and celebrate what we’ve done the last three or four years.” Arriving in a mask and with bedazzled cane, Applegate shared long heartfelt moments with Julia Roberts and Kate Hudson between commercial breaks.
RRR Dominance
The fandom around the Indian flick and its hit song “Naatu Naatu” continue to grow, as do its awards season victories, having picked up both Golden Globes and Critics Choice wins in the last week.
“It’s overwhelming, on cloud nine,” composer M.M. Keeravani said of the support, as director S.S. Rajamouli continued, “It’s always great to have people who adore your work, who encourage you to be better at what we do. It’s a big deal to have that kind of support. You really feel humbled by it and we are grateful for that.” The RRR team certainly felt the support on Sunday, as the likes of Seth Rogen and Todd Field came over to offer congratulations after the win.
Award Show Awards
Aside from her onstage victory as best actress, Cate Blanchett also won the “biggest social butterfly” award at Sunday’s show, using the frequent commercial breaks to catch up with Viola Davis, Michelle Yeoh, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Julia Garner, Jennifer Coolidge, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Henry Winkler and Austin Butler. Julia Roberts was a close second, also circling the room to visit with Applegate, Coolidge, Tony Kushner and Tár‘s Nina Hoss. And though his Elvis performance wasn’t recognized, Butler took home the “most selfies requested” honor, after he was constantly swarmed by supporters at every free moment.
A-List Interactions
Critics Choice is always guaranteed to have some good Hollywood elbow-rubbing, and this year was no different. The Top Gun: Maverick cast of Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Danny Ramirez, Greg Tarzan Davis and Monica Barbaro reunited, as Michelle Williams (and date Busy Philipps) caught up with the Severance cast and Quinta Brunson hugged it out with Angela Bassett. Newcomers Gabriel LaBelle and Thuso Mbedu also exchanged compliments, while Ben Foster and Laura Prepon chatted with Paul Dano and House of the Dragon‘s Matt Smith and Alcock visited with Daisy Edgar-Jones and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power‘s Ismael Cruz Córdova.