What It Was Like in the Room: Oscars 2024

Awards Daily’s Megan McLachlan recaps what it was like to be in the Dolby Theatre for the 2024 Oscars.

The 2024 Oscars have been put to bed, but if you’re like me, you’re still reeling from all the surprises (Emma Stone!), performances (I’ve had “I’m Just Ken” stuck in my head all week), and controversies (wait, Messi wasn’t actually clapping?).

I was excited to be in the room for this year’s Oscars and what a year to be there. After all, it was the year of Barbenheimer, but it was also the year two international films rose to Best Picture nominations, with Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest (both of which went home with awards). While Oppenheimer took home the most wins, the Oscars did manage to spread the wealth a bit this year, with American Fiction edging out Oppenheimer in the Adapted Screenplay category and The Zone of Interest taking home Sound.

Walking the Red Carpet

The walk over to the Dolby Theatre on Sunday was a little stressful, with some Pro Palestine protests going on up the street, but once I got to the red carpet, it was smooth sailing. They aren’t lying when they tell you that it takes approximately 30 minutes to walk the red carpet. It’s pretty epic. But you can’t stop too long as the security guards will encourage you to keep it moving. I really wanted a photo of myself on the red carpet (and when you’re by yourself, what do you do?) and ran into James Woods and his date on the steps. We swapped phones and took pics for each other.

The winding lobbies of the Dolby Theatre bustled with people as soon as you walked in, and as I grabbed a bag of popcorn and a drink, I spotted Sissy Spacek, Jack Quaid, and Brittany Snow (who wore my favorite dress of the night). At 2:30 p.m. PT, the theatre made the announcement for everyone to take their seats soon, so you could tell they were really worried about people forgetting that it started an hour earlier at 4 p.m. PT.

In the Dolby Theatre

Before the show started, David Alan Grier came out and warmed up the crowd a bit, and soon we were off to the races (Oscar races, that is). After witnessing the Golden Globes crowd turn on host Jo Koy, there was something comforting about watching Jimmy Kimmel, who has developed an easy rapport with the Academy after hosting a few awards shows now. But if John Mulaney wants to take over next year, I think the crowd would love him, since his Field of Dreams bit killed.

Out front, there was a definite palpable love for Poor Things in the audience, not only when it took home some of the early awards, but among the cheers from the crowd. This response totally hinted at what was to come later, with Emma Stone winning her second Oscar over Lily Gladstone.

Of course, all of the musical performances were great, but the one we all were waiting for was “I’m Just Ken,” so much so that I didn’t want to have a Renee Zellweger/Christine Lahti bathroom moment and miss the entire performance. What a moment for Ryan Gosling and for Barbie, capping off what feels like a two-year Oscar campaign, since Greta Gerwig’s film has all we’ve been talking about since those Barbie and Ken rollerblade pics were released. It had the crowd on their feet and is just what the Oscars need more of.

Listen to the Water Cooler Podcast for more of my recap, where Joey Moser, Clarence Moye, and I chat about our thoughts on the show.