Lethbridge Herald

BACKSTAGE AT THE OSCARS

- Sandy Cohen

There are cameras everywhere at the Academy Awards, but some of the most intimate celebrity moments at the show still manage to escape the lens.

Here’s a look at some of the backstage interactio­ns that never made it to TV screens:

LADY-BIRD BONDING: Greta Gerwig and Laura Dern shared some poignant moments backstage before presenting the documentar­y award.

The two women spent at least 10 minutes backstage together chatting and preparing for their moment onstage, during which Dern gave Gerwig a bit of a pep-talk.

“It’s amazing. And it’s historic,” Dern told Gerwig of her best director nomination — the fifth woman in academy history to be so recognized. “Are you breathing?” the elder actress asked.

“Your dress is perfect. Your makeup is perfect,” Dern said. “Let’s check the booty.”

With that, Dern and Gerwig turned around to reveal the back of their dresses to each other, which they deemed camera-ready.

Dern also advised her co-presenter not to slouch or lean into the microphone.

“Shoulders back,” Gerwig said, convincing herself.

Still, Dern worried about having worn her eyeglasses.

“No, they look so cute!” Gerwig said. “There’s nothing hotter than a hot lady with glasses.”

FOOT FETISH: Comedic actresses Maya Rudolph and Tiffany Haddish had planned to wear comfortabl­e footwear onto the Oscar stage even before it became part of their lines Sunday night.

Haddish insisted on wearing her slippers onstage.

“Girl, I got bunions and corns,” Haddish told Rudolph. “The footfetish people will be all about it. Did you see that bunion? Did you see them corns?”

The comedienne joked to Rudolph that she’s been using “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” spray on her feet.

DIVA IN THE HOUSE: Oscarwinne­r Faye Dunaway likes to make her own rules. She refused to stay in her position backstage before announcing the best picture winner.

The 77-year-old Dunaway repeatedly walked away from her prescribed spot backstage before she and Warren Beatty were to announce the final award of the night.

She demanded to know where her lines were and whether Allison Janney won for supporting actress (she did).

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