“So many polka dots,” exclaimed Ariana Grande, reaching out her hand to embrace Carrie Coon. They were twinning in white ’50s-style dresses with black polka dots. Grande’s was a strapless number by Balmain. Coon had on a halter by Patou.
“You look amazing. You look fabulous,” Grande told her as they interlocked fingers and shared a cheek-to-cheek kiss. “And it’s so nice to meet you.”
They were on the red carpet at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures’ annual Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles, a black-tie affair that’s now in its fourth year.
“Ariana got my text, Eddie got my text,” Coon joked seconds later.
Eddie Redmayne, that is, who was steps away also donning black-and-white polka dots — a suit by Valentino.
“It’s clearly a thing,” he laughed. His was black with white dots instead. “I just realized, it’s inverted matching.”
Los Angeles hasn’t seen such a starry night in a long time, particularly with such celebrated actors, the movie stars of a different era: Tom Hanks, John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Meg Ryan, Nicole Kidman, Demi Moore — one by one, they made their way down the carpet and into the event, which has quickly become a glamorous one. Honoring figures in cinema while collecting funds for exhibitions and public programming, more than $11 million was raised this year, while putting the spotlight on Rita Moreno, Quentin Tarantino and Paul Mescal.
“They’re all epic,” Redmayne said of the honorees. “I’m a massive fan of the three of them. Like the rest of the world during the lockdown, I watched Paul Mescal’s performance in ‘Normal People.’ I’ve never seen an actor who’s just arrived so fully formed. Tarantino, I grew up on his films. They’re kind of in the DNA of who I am. And Rita Moreno is just a goddess.”
Moreno, the 92-year-old actress and dancer — who had her breakout role as Anita in the 1961 musical drama “West Side Story” — has been honored time and time again, but this one came as a surprise.
“I was astonished,” Moreno said of the recognition. “I was absolutely astonished. It’s the last thing I ever expected. You know, I thought I’d won everything, almost, without in any way bragging,” she smiled. “And suddenly this one comes along.”
Moreno, a known activist, was one of the few to openly discuss the upcoming presidential election. She kept it simple: “What really bothers me is when people vote against their own interests.”
All three honorees are known for their candor. Mescal, the 28-year-old Irish actor, touched on the state of Hollywood, which has been struggling both financially and critically with the rise of streaming and YouTube in the age of social media.
“If we’re being honest, the industry has needed a shot in the arm for the last couple of years, and anything that will bring our attention to it and help us remind ourselves of why we all collectively love this, I’m super happy to be a part of,” Mescal said of the gala.
“I was deeply surprised by it initially,” he went on, of being honored. “And then, it took me a second to recognize what it actually meant. It’s not something that I was expecting. And it’s one that I wear with great pride.”
