As the 82nd Golden Globe Awards took place on Sunday at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, past nominee Justin Shenkarow shared his unforgettable experience at the star-studded event
A former Golden Globe nominee has lifted the lid on what guests can anticipate at the prestigious annual bash – from extravagant goodie bags to encounters with A-listers and the ceremony’s “most important” element. As the 83rd instalment of the celebrated awards ceremony unfolds on Sunday, January 11 at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, Hollywood’s elite are set to descend upon the venue to compete for the coveted trophies.
And one individual who’s experienced the occasion first-hand, Justin Shenkarow, has shared his standout memories from the star-studded event. Describing the glamorous celebration as the “best of both worlds” for blending television and film excellence under one roof, the actor enthusiastically recalled attending two ceremonies alongside his Picket Fences colleagues, who secured an impressive nine nominations across their four-season run.
The series, which saw Justin portray Matthew Brock, spanned 88 episodes and earned Best Television Series nominations in both 1994 and 1995. In ’94, Justin’s fellow cast member Kathy Baker claimed victory for Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series.
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Chatting to the Mirror about his time at the glitzy event, Justin couldn’t help but rave about the fantastic arrangements – though he confessed that it was the post-ceremony bashes that really stole the show. Despite being a mere 15 and 16 when he first strutted his stuff at the ceremony, Justin revealed: “The parties after are even more exciting and more important than the actual Golden Globes because you have parties all over LA where each network like HBO has their own party and then Vanity Fair has a party and each studio and network and they are all celebrating a party around their specific TV show or film.”
Reflecting on his experiences at the Golden Globes themselves, he shared that his show would always kick off their day at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills for dressing up and hair and makeup sessions, which he described as “a lot of fun”.
“Then we hopped in a limousine,” he continued, “and we took the limo ride over to the Golden Globes. We got out and the paparazzi and the fans are there snapping photos as you saunter down the red carpet, interviewing you asking you about your show while the fans are screaming. It’s really a surreal kind of experience. But so fun. So wonderful. Everybody looks incredibly sharp and sexy and fabulous.”
Painting a picture of what it’s really like inside the venue, he went on: “They have a big bar set up. They want everybody kind of drinking so everybody is loose and relaxed. In fact, a lot of times people aren’t even sitting where they need to be sitting because they’re at the bar having some cocktails and trying to make a deal or get their next acting job.”
He laughed whilst mentioning the “professional seat fillers” positioned to ensure no empty chairs appeared when cameras rolled. “What’s so funny is that because people are at the bar schmoozing and trying to make a deal or whatever, you have a lot of seat fillers waiting in the wings. They’re all over the place. As soon as it goes to intermission, you see people scamper like ants. All the stars get up, then all the seat fillers scamper in immediately, so by the time you blink your eyes twice, all the seats are filled again.”
Justin joked that keeping track of the seating arrangements proved challenging for some A-listers as drinks kept flowing. From his experience, most celebrities simply “kind of sit wherever they want” having forgotten their assigned spots.
He noted it could occasionally resemble musical chairs when staff rushed to reorganise stars following ad breaks. He recalled one instance where he found himself seated beside Deedee Pfeiffer, Michelle Pfeiffer’s sister, and her partner at a table for 10.
The actor – who currently voices Rhino in the children’s animated series Spidey and His Amazing Friends – continued: “Then the host begins and they start giving out awards and bring out food and have the champagne pouring. It’s great.”
Though nearly three decades have passed since he attended the glitzy bash, he vividly remembered the menu options of fillet mignon or sea bass, acknowledging they certainly splash out on the dining experience. When it came to discussing the legendary goodie bag – this year’s haul is valued at an eye-watering £400,000 – Justin acknowledged it was a “very, very good bag”, though he struggled to pinpoint precisely what treasures he’d taken home.
One moment that remained crystal clear in his mind, though, was feeling utterly starstruck whilst seated close to Quentin Tarantino, who was nominated for awards for Pulp Fiction. “Right next to our table was Quentin Tarantino, who was dating Mira Sorvino. During the intermission you have a little bit of time. I remembered that my 10th grade teacher at the time was a huge Tarantino fan.
“So I went up to him and I said, ‘Mr Tarantino’, and he looked at me as if to say, ‘kid, what do you want?’ I said ‘I’m a huge fan and I’m sitting at the table next to you and, look, my history teacher is a big fan of yours. Would you mind giving him an autograph?'”.
“He laughed and everybody at the table laughed, but I got the autograph. I brought it back to school and my teacher was over the moon.”
Justin quipped that he was “furious” after revealing he still only managed to scrape a B grade in the class. His final recollections before hitting the after-parties centred on the “mad scramble” towards the limousines once the ceremony wraps up, with all the celebrities simply “kind of waiting there” and discovering who’s heading to which bashes.
“Then you’re going to like four or five parties,” he disclosed. “You’re going to many different parties, you don’t change, you’re just in the limo and off to your first party.”
Justin, who previously lent his voice to Harold in Hey Arnold, is currently juggling several thrilling ventures, including his Emmy award-winning show, The Bronx Buds. He has also recently wrote and starred in a comedy pilot called “It’s Your Fault”.
Source: Mirror
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