On the Saturday afternoon before the 83rd Golden Globe Awards, a group of Hollywood’s hottest stars — some among this year’s nominees — gathered at Ardor, the West Hollywood EDITION hotel restaurant, for an elegant seated lunch with The Cut’s editor-in-chief Lindsay Peoples. As is often the case in Los Angeles, it was chillier than expected in the shade, so the guests formed groups near the heat lamps around the table’s perimeter. Quinta Brunson (nominated for Abbott Elementary) caught up with Kumail Nanjiani (nominated for his stand-up special, Night Thoughts), Taylor Dearden (nominated for The Pitt), and Matlock’s Skye P. Marshall. Across the outdoor space, friends and Nobody Wants This nominees Justine Lupe and Jackie Tohn admired each other’s outfits and expressed delight at seeing Monica Lewinsky in attendance.
But the guest whose arrival caused the sharpest collective inhale was actor Hudson Williams, of TV’s spiciest overnight sensation, Heated Rivalry. While the show aired too late to be considered eligible for this year’s Golden Globes, Wiliams will present an award alongside co-star (and onscreen lover) Connor Storrie, and the screams from the audience will surely be heard in space. This early in the day, Williams’s peers play it (mostly) cool—though Yellowjackets star Jasmin Savoy Brown was pleased to report she just danced between Williams and Storrie at a party two nights ago. “There’s a video on my Instagram, if you want to go check it out,” she teased.
For Williams, this is all still pretty surreal; his first order of business when he showed up was just to find something to eat. That, he noted, is the craziest part about his sudden fame. “There’s so little time to eat,” he said. “I’ve only ate two sliders while I’m doing this thing. My hands are shaking because I’m famished. I have scotch.” Later, when Peoples introduced herself as The Cut’s editor-in-chief, he joked: “You didn’t do much editing on my skincare video!” (Williams was referring to this 20-minute masterpiece, which he called a “PSA for fucking ADHD medication.”)
Before sitting down for lunch, the actors spoke with The Cut to share their award show rituals, their hopes and dreams for 2026, and their dream cast for a lesbian Heated Rivalry.
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Who would you cast in a lesbian Heated Rivalry? “I love Adèle Exarchopoulos. I won’t put Léa Seydoux with her, because they already did that. So maybe… more Who would you cast in a lesbian Heated Rivalry? “I love Adèle Exarchopoulos. I won’t put Léa Seydoux with her, because they already did that. So maybe I’ll put Renate Reinsve from The Worst Person In the World there. They look fast. So maybe they could be swimmers. It’ll be wet, and we can play with the entendre. We can have a wet press tour. Horny.” — Hudson Williams Expand Photo
Paris Jackson and Taylor Dearden Expand Photo
Marco Calvani Expand Photo
What do you want more and less of in 2026? “Less ICE, fuck ICE. More love and compassion.” — Taylor Dearden more What do you want more and less of in 2026? “Less ICE, fuck ICE. More love and compassion.” — Taylor Dearden Expand Photo
Stacy Martin Expand Photo
Marisa Tomei and Quinta Brunson Expand Photo
Jackie Tohn Expand Photo
Helen Hoehne Expand Photo
Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani Expand Photo
Monica Lewinsky Expand Photo
Who would you want to sit beside at the Globes? “I would probably have to sit next to Idris Elba, because Idris has a project that he’s developing in … more Who would you want to sit beside at the Globes? “I would probably have to sit next to Idris Elba, because Idris has a project that he’s developing in Africa — Ghana, to be specific — and I want to know more about that. And then, Mr. Netflix himself. I’d like to sit next to Ted Sarandos and talk. Open some doors.” — Sheryl Lee Ralph Expand Photo
Quinta Brunson Expand Photo
Denée Benton, Quinta Brunson, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Ivy-Victoria Maurice Expand Photo
Helen Hoehne and Sheryl Lee Ralph Expand Photo
Justin Lupe Expand Photo
Did you have to get over squeamishness for the role of Nurse Dana on The Pitt? “Well, I’m just gonna drop a little teaser: We’re gonna see some maggot… more Did you have to get over squeamishness for the role of Nurse Dana on The Pitt? “Well, I’m just gonna drop a little teaser: We’re gonna see some maggots. I have an experience where I was really traumatized by a bunch of maggots that I saw in real life, so I had to work really hard to be able to say, ‘I see you brought some friends’ to this patient that has maggots on them. No maggots were harmed in the filming, I kid you not. There was a whole maggot contract. The maggots have a college fund. I’m personally gonna send the maggots to summer camp this summer. East Coast, classy.” — Katherine LaNasa Expand Photo
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Kumail Nanjiani Expand Photo
Quinta Brunson and Helen Hoehne Expand Photo
Katherine LaNasa, Kumail Nanjiani, Emily V. Gordon, and Jackie Tohn Expand Photo
Rob Holysz and Monica Padman Expand Photo
Marco Pigossi, Marco Calvani and Marisa Tomei Expand Photo
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Emily V. Gordon, Quinta Brunson, Kumail Nanjiani, Taylor Dearden, Katherine LaNasa and Skye P. Marshall more Emily V. Gordon, Quinta Brunson, Kumail Nanjiani, Taylor Dearden, Katherine LaNasa and Skye P. Marshall Expand Photo
Skye P. Marshall Expand Photo
Have you watched Heated Rivalry, and who would you cast in the lesbian Heated Rivalry? “I’ve obviously seen Heated Rivalry. I’ve maybe seen it twice. … more Have you watched Heated Rivalry, and who would you cast in the lesbian Heated Rivalry? “I’ve obviously seen Heated Rivalry. I’ve maybe seen it twice. I’ve maybe watched the finale three times. In a lesbian version, I would cast myself, and probably a baddie from the WNBA, just to have some fun — artistically, of course. I think a cute little lesbian Love & Basketball moment might be what the world needs right now, to be honest.” — Denée Benton Expand Photo
Quinta Brunson and Sheryl Lee Ralph Expand Photo
If you could be seated between any two people at the Globes, at an awards show, who would it be? “I think Cynthia Erivo is like a magical human being … more If you could be seated between any two people at the Globes, at an awards show, who would it be? “I think Cynthia Erivo is like a magical human being who is just so talented. I really want to sit beside her and hear her wisdom. And I’ve idolized Zendaya since I was like 10 years old. So, Zendaya and Cynthia Erivo—I think I’d pass out.” – Anna Cathcart Expand Photo
Hudson Williams and Marco Calvani Expand Photo
Dame Joan Collins and Helen Hoehne Expand Photo
Skye P. Marshall, Quinta Brunson, and Lindsay Peoples Expand Photo
Hudson Williams Expand Photo
Kumail Nanjiani and Katherine LaNasa Expand Photo
Marco Calvani, Katherine LaNasa, and Lisa Ann Walter Expand Photo
Anna Cathcart and Taylor Dearden Expand Photo
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Who would you want to sit between at the Globes? Justine Lupe: “Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell? Couples’ longevity is fascinating to me. And they feel l… more Who would you want to sit between at the Globes? Justine Lupe: “Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell? Couples’ longevity is fascinating to me. And they feel like they’ve got such a good thing going on. They seem very in love with each other, and I just love them both as performers. So there are a lot of dimensions to why I’d want to be in the middle of those two, but I feel like it would be a very fruitful experience.”
Jackie Tohn: “Mine is like — who do I want to do bits with? I think for me it would be more like Adam Sandler. He’s famously an easy chat. He’s so cool. And then maybe Seth Rogen on the other side.” Expand Photo
LaKeith Stanfield Expand Photo
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Lisa Ann Walter and Sheryl Lee Ralph Expand Photo
Dame Joan Collins Expand Photo
Are you a Heated Rivalry or romance fan? “I just want to do more romantic, smutty gay shit in general — in my personal life — and on screen. I keep be… more Are you a Heated Rivalry or romance fan? “I just want to do more romantic, smutty gay shit in general — in my personal life — and on screen. I keep being cast in such dark stuff, but I’m a lover girl, and I can be light too.” – Jasmin Savoy Brown Expand Photo
Monica Lewinsky, Monica Padman, Rob Holysz and Jackie Tohn Expand Photo
Stacy Martin, Lindsay Peoples, and Jasmin Savoy Brown Expand Photo
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