Timothée Chalamet, Emma Stone etc.

This year’s nominees for the 98th Academy Awards gathered under one roof Tuesday afternoon for the annual Oscar Awards luncheon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. It was a rare respite in the relentless sprint of awards season, where competitors become colleagues and rivals become conversationalists. In many ways, this is the last truly “happy” day of the season. Everyone in the room is a winner in the most literal sense of the word. In other words, he was the winner in the room.

The luncheon, held inside the Wilshire Ballroom, is a carefully managed, logistical ceremony. Candidates arrive through a no-frills process, but personal publicists are notably absent unless they attend as a plus-one. Table assignments are randomized. No cronies, no strategy sessions. It’s just artists and collaborators sharing space. For many, it’s their first taste of the reality of an Oscar nomination.

Lynette Howell Taylor, the new president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, who will succeed Janet Yang in July 2025, delivered welcoming remarks, emphasizing both the importance of this moment and the community spirit of the gathering. She astutely noted that among those honored this year were casting directors.

The nominations were dominated by Warner Bros., backed by the one-two punch of two of cinema’s most acclaimed directors, Paul Thomas Anderson (“One Battle After Another”) and Ryan Coogler (“The Sinners”). Coogler’s vampire epic led the field with a record 16 nominations, followed closely by Anderson’s action drama with 13 nominations. Both films were nominated for Best Picture along with “Bugonia,” “F1,” “Frankenstein,” “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme,” “The Secret Agent,” “Sentimental Value,” and “Train Dreams.”

Impossible to judge applause, but everyone knew who got the loudest applause

It’s always risky to declare a winner in a room where decorum is tightly controlled, but there was one reaction that couldn’t be overlooked. When Ryan Coogler’s name was read out for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay, the applause was arguably the loudest of the afternoon. His wife, fellow nominated producer Zinzi Coogler, appears to have been one of the most enthusiastic contributors to the film.

A close runner-up in the Applause Stakes was Benicio Del Toro, nominated for Best Supporting Actor for One Battle After Another, who drew a spontaneous and sustained reaction when he entered the room. Guillermo del Toro, nominated for producing “Frankenstein,” was also greeted with notable enthusiasm.

The annual reading of the names of the nominees, conducted this year by Lou Diamond Phillips, acting member of the chapter’s board of directors, began with Delroy Lindo, nominated for Best Supporting Actor for Sinners, and ended with Teyana Taylor, Best Supporting Actress nominee for One Battle After Another, joking to Variety on her way out, “They saved the best for last.”

There was also an audible reaction from each of the five potential casting directors at the moment Howell Taylor warned them at the beginning of their remarks.

who wasn’t in the room

Not all candidates will be able to participate.

Ludwig Göransson, a two-time Oscar winner widely considered the frontrunner for the original score for Sinners, was absent as he is back in London completing work on Christopher Nolan’s new blockbuster, The Odyssey, an adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek poem.

Norwegian actor Renate Rijnsve, who received her first Best Actress Oscar nomination for “Sentimental Value,” also couldn’t stay away from production, having recently begun filming “Somewhere Out There,” a Danish feature directed by Alexander Payne.

Sean Penn, who earned his sixth acting nomination for Anderson’s “One Battle After Another”, was not in attendance, which is not entirely surprising given his past public statements about wanting to “melt” the Oscars.

Oscar-winner Natalie Portman, who has been named a producer on the animated film Arco, was also absent, as was Oscar-winner Sam Mendes, who appears to be working in earnest on his ambitious four-film Beatles project.

Brazilians supporting Brazilians

At Table 23, where Variety sat alongside candidates including “F1” producer Jeremy Kleiner, “Hamnet” set decorator Alice Felton, and “Sillato” director Oliver Laxe, Brazilian cinematographer Adolfo Veloso (“Train Dreams”) became the unofficial support captain. He loudly congratulated the announced Brazilian nominees, including Best Actor nominee Wagner Moura for “The Secret Agent” and International Feature Film Director Kleber Mendonça Filho.

The NBA may be the only one with a room for “higher” players.

One illuminating observation quietly spread. This may be one of the tallest groups of Oscar nominees in recent memory.

With Jacob Elordi (6 feet 5 inches), nominated for Best Supporting Actor for “Frankenstein.” producer Scott Stuber (6-foot-4); Stellan Skarsgård (6’3); and Laxe (6’6”) required some creative staging for some group photos. One reliable solution was to bring Guillermo del Toro on board. His humor always lightened the mood and ensured genuine smiles during the Class of 2026 photo shoot.

Hollywood power players were on deck

Josh D’Amaro, the new CEO of Walt Disney Co., attended with Dana Walden. D’Amaro entered the ballroom and Walden followed a few steps behind. He stopped and waited for her, then entered with her, accompanied by Alan Bergman, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment.

The gathering also provided further resonance as ABC enters its final third year as the Academy Awards’ broadcast partner, giving the afternoon a sense of low-key transition.

Advice for Hollywood’s biggest night

Before the luncheon ended, Howell-Taylor provided practical guidance to the nominees as they prepare for Oscar night. The advice included a laugh and a polite nod.

A heartwarming moment and reunion

Kate Hudson, nominated for Best Actress for “Son San Bleu,” is returning to the Oscars for the first time in 25 years since her breakthrough nomination for “Almost Famous,” and was one of the first to be spotted in the lobby.

Jessie Buckley lit up the room with a smile as she entered the room, celebrating her first Best Actress nomination for “Hamnet.” She was previously nominated for Best Supporting Actress for “The Lost Daughter.” Buckley hugged fellow Best Actress nominee Rose Byrne (Kick You If I Had Legs) and shared a tender moment as they complimented each other’s work. Both are widely considered strong candidates in this category.

Chloé Zhao, the screenwriter and director of “Hamnet,” moved effortlessly around the room, looking happy and lively. Elle Fanning was also in attendance, receiving her first Oscar nomination for “Sentimental Value.”

Singer-songwriter EJAE, who wrote “Golden” from the Netflix hit “K-Pop Demon Hunters,” was a lively presence as he spoke with many candidates, including Emma Stone. The two stopped to take a photo together.

Josh Safdie, the director, editor, producer and co-writer of Marty Supreme, was in attendance as the only person nominated for four Academy Awards this year.

There were many warm exchanges, including Ethan Hawke and Michael Barker, co-president of Sony Pictures Classics, exchanging views with the other candidates. At one point, Hawke, Timothée Chalamet, and Barker hugged and both actors told Barker that they owed their careers to him, a moment that made him visibly moved.

Anderson, who received three nominations for producing, directing and writing for “One Battle After Another,” was seen chatting with Steven Spielberg, nominated for producer for “Hamnet,” outside the ballroom. The two were having a friendly conversation in the lobby.

Amy Madigan, nominated for “Weapons,” turned heads when she entered the room. It’s the first time she’s been nominated since the 1980s, and this time the energy around her felt noticeably different. Wearing a striking blue suit, she was warmly welcomed by Dan Lin, head of film at Netflix.

Previous Oscar nominees were in attendance, including Mudbound screenwriter Virgil Williams, who encouraged Warren to call him when he directed her next film, and they even exchanged phone numbers. Later, Williams was seen chatting with Teyana Taylor, a supporting actress nominee for One Battle After Another.

Leonardo DiCaprio also attended with his father. He spoke with Scott Stuber and caught up with Hawk. Nearby, Chalamet and Emma Stone had a long conversation at table No. 3, near the front of the room.

Elordi, who stars opposite Margot Robbie in Emerald Fennell’s new film Wuthering Heights, which opens on Friday, was seen hugging Warner Bros. Pictures co-chief executive Pam Abdi. Even if it’s a day of reflection, it’s a reminder that the next season is already waiting.