Oscars 2019: Stars kick on at Academy Awards afterparties
Once one of Hollywood’s most recognisable women, Renee Zellweger is rarely seen nowadays — but stepped out last night.
It was an Oscars night tainted by controversy after Green Book’s surprise Best Picture win. But that didn’t stop Hollywood’s A-listers from hitting the famed Oscars afterparties for a night to remember.
Oscar night’s epic Vanity Fair party is a black-tie affair but also a lose-the-black tie affair, a place where stars can unbutton their shirts — or in some cases lose them entirely — kick off their high heels and celebrate the end of a long awards season by eating, drinking and dancing with abandon.
Once one of the busiest women in Hollywood, Renee Zellweger leads a quieter life nowadays — she’s made just five films in the past decade, with only Bridget Jones’s Baby widely seen.
The star, who turns 50 in April will next be seen playing Judy Garland in the upcoming biopic Judy. She looked stunning in a dress with a daring thigh-high split:
And some of Australia’s biggest stars led the party charge.
Aussie actor Liam Hemsworth looked typically dapper as he arrived at the Vanity Fair party with new wife Miley Cyrus.
Cyrus wore a revealing Saint Laurent gown with a plunging neckline while Hemsworth went for a classic black suit.
Australian actress Isla Fisher channelled old Hollywood in an off-the-shoulder sequin gown by New York-based designer Jonathan Simkhai.
The accomplished star — who began her career on Home And Away — is one of Hollywood’s hottest properties. Her next movie, The Beach Bum, opens next month.
Melbourne-born model Shanina Shaik, who also opted for sequins, looked stunning as she arrived at the Vanity Fair bash.
Rising star Elizabeth Debicki was also on hand as was Toni Collette who spent much of the night talking to famed costume designer Sandy Powell.
Meanwhile, Kendall Jenner was lucky to avoid a wardrobe malfunction as she arrived at the bash in a risque black halter dress with a plunging panel.
The X-rated dress is sure to go down as one of the model’s all-time hottest fashion moments.
Fellow model Emily Ratajkowski also turned heads in a barely there ensemble.
Inside the party, Richard E. Grant, who did not win best supporting actor for his role in Can You Ever Forgive Me, looked like he’d won a shelf full of Academy Awards, throwing off his jacket, untucking his shirt and loosening the top few buttons as he walked through the party with its thumping music, his face lit up with delight. His smile got even wider when he met up with his hero, Barbra Streisand.
Jason Momoa of Aquaman was missing the shirt he wore earlier in the evening as a presenter, going bare-chested under his tuxedo jacket with his hair up in a bun as he handed out hugs and high-fives, towering over everyone around him. James McAvoy turned his tuxedo shirt into an autograph book. It was covered with star-studded signatures in red sharpie as he danced alongside Emilia Clarke to “This Is How We Do It.”
Nearby on the dance floor, photographers and wellwishers crowded around newlyweds Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra, with many seeing them for the first time since they married in India in December.
Just off the dance floor, Dick Van Dyke, 93 years old and holding a cane, swayed and grooved to hip-hop tunes as though he were still the romping chimney sweep from the original Mary Poppins 55 years earlier.
Oscar statuettes, as always, were the most popular accessories at the annual gala hosted by Vanity Fair editor Radhika Jones and held both indoors and out between the Annenberg Space for Photography and Beverly Hills City Hall.
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The party, as usual, had a big dose of big stars from outside of movies, including Taylor Swift, Duran Duran’s Nick Rhodes, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and US football star Odell Beckham Jr and Paris Jackson, fresh from a stint in rehab.
Many gorged on the traditional highbrow and lowbrow fare, as servers walked the floor with boxes overflowing with In-N-Out burgers, trays of bottled milkshakes with paper straws and platters stacked with tiny carrot cakes. Diana Ross, Ava DuVernay and Tracee Ellis Ross were among the approximately 100 guests who watched the Oscars telecast over a formal dinner that preceded the bigger party.
Just after the ceremony, where multiple winners included Green Book, Roma, Black Panther and Bohemian Rhapsody, most victors and nominees made a first stop at the Governors Ball, the official after-party just held a few floors up from the Oscars, to sip some champagne and sample some Wolfgang Puck cuisine, including thinly sliced Spanish ham, Japanese beef and fresh vegan pasta.
Eighth Grade star and presenter Elsie Fisher wandered the party with her dad, while Awkwafina did the same, grateful her public appearance was over. “It was nice to play a nervous person,” she said after presenting a pair of Oscars with comedian John Mulaney, both acting intimidated at being part of Hollywood’s biggest night.
Glenn Close may have missed out on the best actress prize for the seventh time, but she was in good spirits and in an entirely different outfit at the ball, where many stopped to tell her how great she is. “We’re here for you, Glenn,” one man said.
Many of the winners were all smiles, including Free Solo directors Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, and the women behind the short documentary Period. End of Sentence whose energy had not waned since their win a few hours prior.
Attendees clamoured to talk to best actress winner Olivia Colman, who got her trophy engraved next to best director winner Alfonso Cuaron. He eventually found his Roma cast and crew, including Yalitza Aparicio and Marina de Tavira, to toast their win before heading to the Netflix party.
And Mahershala Ali gladly posed with Angela Bassett, clutching his supporting actor trophy for Green Book proudly while smiling for the cameras.
But by 9.30pm, many had already started making their way to the Vanity Fair party, including Melissa McCarthy, who looked in good spirits despite having to hold up her own train.
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