LOS ANGELES – Emma Stone hilariously overcame a wardrobe malfunction with her Louis Vuitton gown to joyfully accept her second career Oscar on stage Sunday at the 96th Academy Awards.
Yet, that wasn’t the only award show obstacle the “Poor Things” star had to endure during the Oscars show hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. Earlier in the evening, away from TV cameras, Stone was also left stranded in the lobby bar of the Dolby Theatre when her film went on an awards-winning streak – taking three major awards without the star applauding from her front-row auditorium seat.
But that’s live TV showbiz. And it proves once again that what you don’t see during the live TV Oscars broadcast is often as fascinating as the drama on stage.
USA TODAY had eyes and ears in the audience, the backstage pressroom, and yes, in the Dolby Theatre lobby bar. Here’s what happened behind the scenes at the Oscars as “Oppenheimer” rolled to seven Oscar wins including best picture and Ryan Gosling sang an immortal “I’m Just Ken.”
Emma Stone wins:Second Oscar for best actress, with a slight wardrobe malfunction
‘Oh my God!’ Emma Stone can’t believe she missed three ‘Poor Thing’ Oscar wins
Alas, Emma, left her theater seat at the exact wrong time. Stone was elated when “Poor Thing” won its first Oscar for best make-up and hairstyling, sprinting to the lobby TV screen with wide eyes. But the actress was also horrified she wasn’t present.
“Oh my God, Oh my God, we won, and I was not sitting down,” Stone bemoaned at the lobby monitor, her eyes tearful and her hand on her head. She explained to no one in particular: “Sorry, we went to the bathroom and missed this. We can’t go in right now. They won’t let us, right?”
No, she couldn’t reenter the theater during the live broadcast. So, Stone literally jumped off the ground in joy as “Poor Things” won another category, for production design. Her husband Dave McCary brought sparkling wine over and the two clinked in celebration. Florence Pugh also joined the growing crew with Eva Longoria standing behind. Pugh laughed loudly about the nearly nude John Cena on stage presenting for best costume.
But Stone was laser-focused on the Oscar wins. “I’m so (expletive) excited,” she shouted.
“Oh my God, and they are doing costumes,” she added, wiping away tears, her nose red from crying. More screams of joy ensued as “Poor Things” won for costume design as well. “Oh my God! Oh my God!” Stone exclaimed.
When the commercial break finally arrived, Stone grabbed her husband’s hands and full-on heel-sprinted back into the auditorium, fully pushing the confines of the gown’s mermaid bottom.
Emma Stone explains her wardrobe malfunction (Blame Ryan Gosling)
Speaking of Stone, the actress remarked backstage about her near wardrobe difficulties in which she begged the audience, during her best actress acceptance speech, not to look at the back of her dress. Stone continued to blame the tear on her cheering during Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” show performance.
“They sewed me back in,” Stone said. “I genuinely do think I busted it during ‘I’m just Ken.’ I was so amazed by Ryan and what he was doing and that number blew my mind. I was right there, and I was going for it, and things happen.”
During the commercial break before winning her award, Stone ran over to “Poor Things” director Yorgos Lanthimos, kneeling in front of his seat for an impassioned chat. When they stood up, he attempted to fix the dress. Lanthimos wasn’t entirely successful, but they shared a long hug and Stone blew kisses to Lanthimos as she walked away.
Margot Robbie, Greta Gerwig go crazy for Gosling’s Ken-tastic performance
If you watched from home, you saw the epic – and, dare we say, Oscar historic – performance of “I’m Just Ken” by Gosling and many dancing Kens.
We knew it was going to be special when watching the dancing Kens practicing their moves right outside the auditorium up to the moment they stepped on stage, clad in their Ken-tastic cowboy hats. After the stunning performance, the 64 dancers got rowdy outside the auditorium, their arms pumping. They gathered in an ecstatic circle, jumping and yelling, “Ken! Ken! Ken! Ken!”
The Ken-ergy was even greater in the audience. Stars whipped out their smartphones and leaped to their feet for Gosling’s raucous number. Afterward, Gosling’s sister Mandi danced in the aisle to Icona Pop’s “I Love It” with her new black cowboy hat. “Barbie” star Margot Robbie debriefed with director Greta Gerwig, jaw-dropped and beaming as they held each others’ hands in total awe over what they just saw on stage.
Da’Vine Joy Randolph explains nod to grandmother that made her sob
Before her win for best supporting actress, Da’Vine Joy Randolph burst into tears on TV as Lupita Nyong’o introduced her as a nominee in the category, noting that Randolph incorporated her late grandmother’s glasses into her “The Holdovers” performance.
Randolph opened up about what those spectacles mean to her, calling the glasses a “crucial” touch to her performance in the backstage pressroom.
In the auditorium, the crowd instantly jumped to its feet when Randolph’s name was called, while her friend Nyong’o danced gleefully in place on stage. Nominee America Ferrera clearly had no hard feelings about her loss to “The Holdovers” star. Ferrera was all big smiles huddling with “Barbie” director Gerwig and co-star Robbie during the commercial break immediately afterward.
Ariana Grande is the last to sit, first to leave
Leave it to “Wicked” star Ariana Grande to book-end the Oscars. Grande was the last star to sit at the show’s beginning, plopping into her seat with her flowing pink Giambattista Valli couture dress just as the giant onstage clock showed four seconds until broadcast.
Grande was also the first star to leave the show, sliding out a VIP exit just before the final award. The “Thank U, Next” singer spoke to one lobby fan while exiting, but then hiked up her gown and high-tailed it to a special elevator for that car ride out.
