Inside W’s Best Performances Party 2023

A flash flood warning and freezing weather in Los Angeles couldn’t stop the A-list from turning out for W’s Best Performances party. This year, the annual event, hosted by W Editor-in-Chief Sara Moonves and Editor-at-Large Lynn Hirschberg, returned to the penthouse of the Chateau Marmont, where Hollywood’s biggest names gathered to celebrate the near culmination of awards season with an intimate soiree that felt like the chicest of house parties.

Among the slew of Oscar nominees in attendance were Ana De Armas and Michelle Williams, Everything Everywhere All at Once’s director duo Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan (better known as Daniels), Triangle of Sadness’s Ruben Östlund, and Elvis’s Austin Butler who spent much of the evening with his girlfriend Kaia Gerber, stunning in a black Celine dress, by his side. Butler, fresh off his BAFTAS win for Best Actor took the chance to connect with his director Baz Luhrmann who was spotted conversing at length with Kate Hudson later in the evening.

Also well represented was W’s Best Performances roster itself. Joining de Armas and Butler was Jennifer Lawrence in a rare public appearance, along with Taylor Russell, Mia Goth, and Diego Calva, who caught up with his Babylon co-star Li Jun Li. The joy was contagious as the cast of the Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery—Hudson, Madelyn Cline and Janelle Monae–reunited with the film’s director Rian Johnson. Meanwhile Till star Danielle Deadwyler, stunning in yellow Fendi knit dress, was ecstatic to see her friend Jeremy Pope, and was also spotted catching up with Kerry Condon, an Oscar contender for The Banshees of Inisherin.

Another ensemble cast reunion had heads turning all night: The White Lotus crew including Meghann Fahy, Adam DiMarco, Leo Woodall, Aubrey Plaza, Will Sharpe, Beatrice Grannò, Simona Tabasco, and Sabrina Impacciatore. The group’s camaraderie was palpable as they gathered on the Chateau’s tented terrace before making their way to the dance floor and eventually circling around the penthouse’s fire for a close conversation amongst themselves.

The dancing started early for Everything Everywhere’s Kwan, Daisy Edgar Jones, Ella Hunt, and Renate Reinsve, who barely sat down once throughout DJ Ross One’s set of classic pop hits. They were joined by the Tell Me Lies It couple Jackson White and Grace Van Patten, Jay Ellis and his Top Gun co-star Monica Barbaro, as well as Russell and her close friend Alexa Demie.

Sipping Casamigos cocktails, guests mingled among two rooms where TikTok cuts of Hirschberg’s “Screen Tests” series, featuring the actors in this year’s portfolio, were being screened. Here, White Lotus producer Dave Bernad chatted with Jessica Biel, who attended with her producing partner Michelle Purple, and Evan Walker, CEO of the e-commerce company Route.

Meanwhile, photographer Tyrell Hampton, who has become as beloved for his TikTok presence as his candid celebrity snaps, was making the rounds capturing TikToks with friends Camila Morrone, Cara Delevingne, and many more.

Also spotted in the crowd: Elizabeth Debicki, Tracee Ellis Ross, Molly Gordon and Jurnee Smollett, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Jeremy O. Harris who chatted with Zola collaborator Janicza Bravo. Newlyweds Brooklyn and Nicola Peltz-Beckham made an appearance, as did Melanie Lynskey, who’s been surrounded by buzz after her turn in Last of Us—she posed for photos with Greta Lee, fresh off of her successful Sundance turn in the critically acclaimed film Past Lives.

The party continued well into the early morning, when slices of New York-style pizza appeared, providing much needed fuel for the night. As things wound down, guests walked away with gift bags that included MCM cardholders, Byredo fragrances and cosmetics, and a copy of W’s Best Performances issue—essential morning-after reading that you can also find on a newsstand near you.

Special thanks to David Rodgers and Special Projects Media.