You know it's a good party when your guests are leaving with their shoes in their hands – as displayed by The White Lotus' Aimee Lou Wood who left the 2026 BAFTA Tea Party in Los Angeles shoeless after almost three hours of hobnobbing and awards campaigning with Kate Hudson, Leonardo DiCaprio and Gwyneth Paltrow.
The 2026 event, hosted by the North America branch of BAFTA, has become a staple of the awards season and that was clearer than ever on Saturday January 10, 2026 when, alongside Leo, Kate and Gwyneth, were Leo's One Battle After Another castmates Benicio del Toro, Teyana Taylor and Chase Infiniti, and awards hopefuls Michael B. Jordan and his Sinners director Ryan Coogler, Hamnet's Joe Alwyn, Blue Moon actor Ethan Hawke, and Joel Edgerton, an underdog who may sneak into the Oscar nominations for the tender Netflix movie Train Dreams.
Gwyneth, who is campaigning for her work in Marty Supreme, walked in with a friend and immediately said hello to Ethan Hawke and comedian Tig Notaro, before moving deeper into the crowd, while her co-star Odessa A'Zion – who was nominated for SAG's Actor Awards – was also in attendance, and alongside Teyana, was the actress to whom everyone wanted to speak, taking pictures, shaking hands and taking the compliments for her breakout role.
Teyana is a former dancer turned actress – at the age of 15, she choreographed the video for "Ring the Alarm" by Beyoncé – and told HELLO! that she is embracing the wild ride she finds herself on after breaking out at the age of 36 in Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another.
We spoke about acknowledging and appreciating where we find ourselves today before she dropped a truth bomb: "The weight is not punishment, it's preparation."
Held at the Four Seasons Beverly Hills, the hundred+ TV and film stars walked the red carpet before they entered the ballroom, where they were greeted by glasses of Taittinger champagne, themed cocktails from Don Julio and Tanqueray, and more sandwiches than even Paddington could handle.
Tea and individual desserts were also in high demand – although I'd like to have words with whoever put the jam on top of the cream on the mini scones.
British actor Joe Alwyn slipped in close to 4 pm and remained off to the side of the room, but I saw his Hamnet co-stars Jacobi Jupe and older brother Noah, 20, both circling the room, and with Noah adorably keeping a protective arm around his 12-year-old brother.
The Pitt's Supriya Ganesh arrived to represent the HBO Max show, which dropped the second season on January 8, and they continued their iconic fashion reign with a gorgeous menswear-inspired fit. Supriya mingled with the show's executive producer Simran Baidwan, before the pair both left for the show's wrap party, which was being held later that night.
Nobody Wants This stars Timothy Simons and Justine Lupe were seen having a very in-depth conversation with Jane Levy. Later, the two Netflix actors kept themselves out of the crowd, sitting at the back of the room, talking together by themselves – although they understandably emerged to take a picture with Gwyneth.
Sinners star Michael was one of the early arrivals, and HELLO! spotted him taking selfies with guests with a big smile on his face, and he left before his Best Actor competition, Leonardo, arrived.
And it was Leonardo who caused the biggest stir of the day.
Arriving towards the end of the tea party, he was joined by his father George DiCaprio and stepmother Peggy DiCaprio, and he was the only guest that arrived with security – which may have been a smart move, as he was immediately swarmed by guests and BAFTA voters who wanted to talk to the A-lister about his work as he looks to collect his second Oscar statue.
The scrum moved with him as he made his way through the ballroom, before he ultimately left out a side door.
With Leonardo leaving, the party began to wind down – and in true British fashion, it emerged the bar had run out of the Taittinger.