The Golden Globes Awards are known as Hollywood's biggest night because it is the most fun of the award shows; guests are seated at dinner tables with 11 others (usually stars from other projects), the Moet & Chandon is flowing, and everyone stands up to mingle and talk to each other during every single commercial break.
It's the place to hobnob; as Seth Rogen said, the writers of The Studio, which goes back into production this week for season two, have been given lots of material to pad out their scripts. "Several things have happened, both today and leading up to this event, that we've written directly into the show, and you'll probably know what they are when you see them," he teased.
But there were some things the public didn't get to see. After stars including Noah Wyle, Jean Smart, and Jessie Buckley accepted their awards, they came backstage where they get to talk to the likes of me, waiting in another ballroom in the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, where the hot coffee flowed, and a spread of burgers, vegetable lasagne, grilled veggies, and sweet cookies were on offer all evening.
Teyana Taylor was the first winner of the night, and the crowds backstage were uproarious when her name was announced. Teyana has been making the rounds this season – I spoke to her at the BAFTA Tea Party, where we discussed how the wait for this moment has been preparation – and it's clearly working in her favor, as the goodwill is staggering.
"What a way to kick off the evening," I overheard several guests claim – this really may be Teyana's year.
Candid moments
During the commercial breaks, the cameras continue rolling backstage, and it's always a joy to see who is interacting and who is staying with their tablemates. I spotted Timothee Chalamet and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson deep in conversation, while Adam Sandler took selfies with 16-year-old Owen Cooper (now the youngest Golden Globe winner of the Supporting Actor accolade ever) and Julia Roberts talking to Guillermo del Toro, which hopefully means the Oscar-winning superstar may appear in his next Gothic horror.
Selena Gomez remained seated almost the entire night with her husband Benny Blanco by her side, and Only Murders co-stars Martin Short and Steve Martin. Selena's friendship with Steve and Martin has been one of the best things in recent years, and it's clear Benny has also been welcomed into the group as I saw him making funny man Martin giggle.
Leonardo DiCaprio made me burst out into laughter when he was caught on camera, perhaps doing some of the best acting of his career. Making eye contact with someone on the other side of his table, he made fun of the other person for not knowing the stars of K-Pop: Demon Hunters.
"I was watching you with the K-pop thing," he said, as he pointed his fingers at his eyes and then the other person. "You were like, 'Is that? K-pop?'" What happened next is him imitating the person's facial expressions as they watched the scene unfold – and I give eternal gratitude to Kyle Buchanan, the awards season columnist for The New York Times, who caught it all on camera.
In the winners' room
After the winners accept their awards, they come backstage to take more pictures and speak to journalists – and it was Stellan Skarsgard who got the biggest laughs of the evening, simply because he is a man of very, very few words.
There were far fewer political speeches than I expected after the last 12 months, but it was the cast and crew of Adolescence who came prepared to make a statement. Co-creator Jack Thorne gave a beautiful speech on-air that stressed that the show isn't about fearing youth but the challenges placed in their path and how it's reliant on all generations to help children navigate the world.
"It's about the filth and debris we have laid in their path," Jack said backstage. "Removing that is our generation's responsibility. It is top down."
Stephen Graham, who also created the Netflix limited series, shared that his biggest win of the night wasn't accepting the Golden Globe but receiving applause from the wait staff as they made their way backstage.
His second biggest? "I'd like to tell you what happened today. I met Snoop Dogg… he shook my hand and he looked me right in the eyes – well, I couldn't see his eyes because he had his glasses on – and he just said, 'You're a [expletive] gangster. My life is complete."
Hanmet won Best Drama, and the cast and crew were the last ones to come backstage after they closed the ceremony. I spotted stars Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal in a three-way hug with a close friend, as their director Chloe Zhao – who carried the audience of the Los Angeles premiere through a minutes-long meditation in November – took several calming breaths before she walked on to the stage.
And in a reminder that celebrities are just like us, my favorite moment of the night may have been watching Gayle King take off her clogs to put her heels back on, as she went from working on the red carpet to attending the ceremony as a guest.