Inside the National Board of Review Awards Gala
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Almost a week after the Golden Globes, the past year’s most buzzed-about film talent — including Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway, and Teyana Taylor — were back on the red carpet to collect their next round of accolades.
The National Board of Review hosted its awards gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on Thursday night. The celebratory evening is unique in that all winners have been announced ahead of time (no “and the awards go to…” moment of suspense), and it isn’t televised or streamed. With no playoff music ushering them off the stage, winners and presenters are able to be as verbose as they want.
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The evening’s top honors went to “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which took home the award for best film, Martin Scorsese for best director, Lily Gladstone for best actress, and Paul Giamatti for best actor. Guests included Day-Lewis (who made a rare event appearance to present Scorsese with his award), Ethan Hawke, Chastain, Zac Efron, Elizabeth Olson, Hathaway, Taylor, Mark Ruffalo, Zazie Beetz, Amy Sedaris, and Michael J. Fox, who later in the evening drew a standing ovation from the room while accepting the award for best documentary alongside “Still” director Davis Guggenheim, who noted his last time in the vaulted room was for “An Inconvenient Truth” back in 2006. “Last time I was here was my daughters’ bat mitzvahs,” Fox deadpanned onstage.
Celine Song, who won best breakthrough director, has been a constant presence throughout awards season for her independent hit “Past Lives.”
“I’m so grateful that I’m able to come to events like this, and I’ve been so busy and going to all these places,” she said. “The fact that I get to share the movie every day in a bigger and bigger space is just a wonderful thing.”
The director, who wore Loewe to the Golden Globes last weekend, donned a Thom Browne suit styled by Britt Theodora.
“I feel so comfortable and good in it,” said Song, adding that her sartorial approach for the remainder of awards season is “What makes me feel comfortable, and who’s so generous enough to let me wear their clothes.”
“Past Lives” star John Magaro was wearing a monochromatic brown suit by Gabriela Hearst. “I like what she’s doing right now,” he said of the designer. “It’s kind of a throwback to the ’70s, but it’s great material and it’s really clean, and I love it.”
“Isn’t it beautiful? This is Sandro womenswear,” said Andrew Scott of his rhinestone-collar jacket. “The whole thing about men have to wear this, and woman have to wear that — I think it’s really boring. So this is a beautiful jacket that I’m really thrilled to be wearing.”
Also thrilling? “Meeting all the other people you watched in projects throughout the year,” Scott added. “I met Jodie Foster the other day; she’s a complete total icon. But as usually happens with people who are icons, they are completely delightful people.”
He was soon joined on the red carpet by another newly cemented icon: Bradley Cooper, who received the National Board of Review icon award.
Anne Hathaway, presenting Cooper with the award after a seated dinner, lauded the actor for a different reason than his contributions to film: his homemade pizza.
“Bradley and I became friends during the pandemic when he invited my family over for pizza — which I have to mention, he made himself,” said the actress, describing the director and actor as grounded, humble and low-key — adding that he “can’t help but effortlessly electrify a room, as only the greatest movie stars can.”
Cooper, visibly moved by the kind words, expressed his gratitude for the friendships he’s cultivated within the industry. “That’s really what it’s all about: friendship. It’s the reason I’m still alive and standing in front of you,” he said, mentioning that he was particularly excited to meet “The Holdovers” star Da’Vine Joy Randolph earlier in the evening.
“Did you all just catch that Bradley Cooper knows who I am now?” said Randolph, taking the stage to accept her award for best supporting actress. “Bradley, my agents have strict instructions now to contact your team. You all heard me, it’s happening. So if you see in Deadline in two weeks that we’re in a show together, it happened here.”
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