Duting the live Golden Globes Award show, the guests inside the Beverly Hilton ballroom are actually allowed to party–that is to freely drink.
Unlike other Hollywood galas — the Oscars or the Emmys — the VIPs are encouraged to loosen their black ties, and some of the best moments take place off camera. When the speeches run long, the stars head over to the smoking patio and bar, where they mingle with other members of the Hollywood elite and snap selfies.
This year’s Globes had the added spectacle of Ricky Gervais, clocking his fourth time as host, delivering one-liners that were too raunchy for TV.
Here are Variety’s biggest secrets from inside the ballroom.
Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill Kick Off the Open Bar
A time-honored tradition at the Golen Globes is for stars to pack the adjacent bar during commercials or for categories that don’t pertain to them. After delivering the first prize of the night to Kate Winslet, Tatum and Hill immediately bailed for a drink.
Sly Stallone ordered two glasses of scotch, which he downed before he went onstage to accept his award for best supporting actor in “Creed,” and Michael B. Jordan and Michael Fassbender chatted about working out together sometime. By the show’s mid-way point, Jon Hamm was posing for pictures with fans on the balcony, with his new trophy in hand.
Stallone Leaps Back Onstage.
Stallone received one of two standing ovations in the ballroom (the other went to DiCaprio) for winning supporting actor in “Creed.” As he took the podium, he tried not to get emotional, offering his thanks to his family, Warner Bros. executives and Rocky himself — “the best friend I ever had.” But Stallone forgot to mention 29-year-old director Ryan Coogler, who rebooted the franchise for a seventh installment with “Creed.” Stallone hadn’t fully left the stage when he lunged back to the mic to tell Coogler — as well as stars Michael B. Jordan and Tessa Thompson — how much he appreciated them. The second part of his acceptance speech never made the broadcast, because the show had already cut to a commercial.
Kate Winslet’s Win?
There were audible gasps in the ballroom as this year’s winners were announced. But the show’s lineup, which opened with supporting actress, may have been a hint that the first category would not go to favorite Alicia Vikander for “Ex Machina.”
The Hollywood Foreign Press has been known to start the Globes with a splashy celebrity victory (see Jennifer Lawrence for “American Hustle”), to draw viewers into the telecast.
But this has been a strange awards season, and the Globes continued that trend.
The movies that were expected to do well — like “Spotlight,” “Carol” and “The Big Short” — were completely shut out, while “The Revenant” and “The Martian” rebounded with best picture wins after losing out key nominations for the SAG Awards.
On the TV side, the Globes continued to recognize freshman series and performances including Amazon’s “Mozart in the Jungle” and a certain pop star known for wearing a meat dress.
Sean Penn?
Though he didn’t attend the Golden Globes, the news about Penn’s secret interview with Mexican drug lord El Chapo was a favorite conversation starter.
“It’s the most unbelievable thing to happen in American history,” Jonah Hill said at the bar. Brett Ratner chimed in that he didn’t believe the actor’s life was ever in danger. “El Chapo wouldn’t do anything to Sean Penn,” he said.
At an after-party, CBS anchor Julie Chen said the interview speaks to Hollywood’s power to open doors around the world. “It kind of makes sense, because he’s a real bad boy,” Chen said of Penn. But one person who didn’t have anything to add was Quentin Tarantino, who admitted he hadn’t been following the story.
Hurry Up, DiCaprio
As this year’s ceremony was running over its three-hour limit, an announcer told the ballroom crowd at a commercial break to keep the last speeches brief. But DiCaprio, winning lead actor in a drama for “The Revenant,” took his time, which caused the announcer to get back on and tell the best picture drama team — whichever it may be — to deliver a quick speech, because the show was out of time.
“The Revenant” won the last award, and film’s producers took the stage with a 56-second speech, delivered mostly by Inarritu.
As the credits rolled, DiCaprio tried to take the mic again, but the guests began leaving the ballroom, rushing to the party given by the biggest winning studio that night, Fox (The Martian, The Revenant, Joy).
