WITHIN HOURS OF the Golden Globes ceremony finishing at the start of January, Hollywood had moved from a state of celebration to one of abject horror. The city watched helplessly as hurricane-force winds simultaneously whipped two separate wildfires into raging infernos. In the west, the Palisades fire tore through the wealthy streets of Malibu and Pacific Palisades, leaving nothing but charred ruins in its wake. To the east, the Eaton fire burnt picturesque Altadena down to the ground. A total of 28 people were killed, 150,000 were forced to evacuate and more than 15,000 houses and other buildings were destroyed forever. Stars including Anthony Hopkins, Billy Crystal and Anna Faris lost their homes. In financial terms, the total damage is estimated to have exceeded $250 billion.
The Brutalist’s Adrien Brody, who had left the Globes with the prize for Best Actor (Drama) tucked under his arm, told Empire he was “heartbroken” to find himself replying to messages of congratulation with condolences for people who’d lost so much that was irreplaceable. “The fact this created so much hardship in so little time is quite overwhelming,” he said. “It’s a catastrophic, unfathomable moment, and I have many, many friends who have lost everything, not just their homes, but all of their memories and possessions and grandmothers’ wedding rings and passports and green cards.”
As a dazed city attempted to stumble forward, attention turned to how Hollywood’s biggest night, the Oscars, would adapt. Hacks star Jean Smart suggested that the ceremony —scheduled for 2 March —should not be televised, while author Stephen King announced he would not take part in voting and believed the event should be cancelled. “To me,” he wrote, “it feels like Nero fiddling while Rome burns.” In the end, the Academy declared the show must go on, albeit with some allowances. In a letter to members, Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang wrote that the ceremony would forgo Best Original Song performances and instead set aside time to “honor Los Angeles as the city of dreams, showcasing its beauty and resilience.” Speaking at Sundance, first-time host Conan O’Brien revealed he plans to use the show to “put a light on a lot of the people in LA who have been affected”, with the hope of pulling off something “sensitive, understanding and also uplifting ”.