LOS ANGELES − Picket line who? With the SAG-AFTRA strike finally over, the Screen Actors Guild Awards returned in full swing Saturday − and though there were plenty of great moments during the broadcast, the juiciest stuff, of course, happened off-camera.
Sure, if you watched from home on Netflix, you saw a delightful − and allegedly drunken − acceptance speech by Pedro Pascal. You also saw a touching lifetime achievement tribute to living legend Barbra Streisand. But that wasn't all. Within the halls of the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall, celebrities schmoozed, had ecstatic reunions, reminisced about their career beginnings and let their guards down, all while basking in the presence of fellow actors.
Lucky for you, USA TODAY had eyes and ears on the inside. Here's what TV didn't show you.
The SAG Awards might as well have been the Pascal Awards, with "The Last of Us" star Pedro Pascal drinking up every moment of the special night (along with some tequila).
Donning a flowing white shirt and free from the arm sling he has sported at recent awards shows, Pascal danced from lively conversations with "Maestro" star Carey Mulligan and "Barbie" star America Ferrera while making his way down the red carpet. He also casually complimented Jonathan Pryce, calling him a genius, and explained his set injury to "American Fiction" star Jeffrey Wright. "He is so social," marveled the minder whose job it was to get Pascal into the actual show. No kidding.
Pascal wasn't the only social butterfly. Hannah Waddingham from "Ted Lasso" embraced a man in a sharp, bronze-colored tux and gave him air kisses on the side of his head, leaving plenty of space between his face and her lips, presumably to avoid messing up her makeup. Rachel Brosnahan, who attended along with her "Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" co-star Alex Borstein, excitedly waved and walked over to a friend in the crowd, giving him light kisses on the cheek, right after posing for a selfie with another guest.
After his stunning win for actor in a drama series, Pascal hugged his friends and supporters for more than a minute in silence. He opened up about his emotional win in the media room. "I started to tear up backstage with my publicists," he said on a Zoom call full of reporters. "They're the ones who work so hard to make these kind of things happen, and I just want them to know that. I don’t care how gross it sounds.”
Despite quipping in his speech that he was drunk, Pascal promised that he's sobered up. "I've been drinking tequila," he said. "I'm sober now. Just to keep the cold away.”
With the lack of commercials, getting back into the Shrine Ballroom during the show was a slow process. Steven Yeun had to wait in the wings out of camera range as outstanding supporting actor in a movie Robert Downey Jr. gave his speech. For Yeun, holding his actor in a TV movie or limited series trophy for "Beef" was no easy feat, he acknowledged. "It's heavy," he whispered to a photographer, who snapped his picture. Yeun then went into arm curls as Jennifer Aniston walked by, sipping bottled water and also waiting to head back to her seat after presenting Streisand with her life achievement award. Finally, a break in the action occurred and the duo swiftly entered, Yeun accepting congratulations as he walked to his seat.
Winning can be hard work − just ask Ayo Edebiri, who appeared to use every bit of strength to get her two statues on the counter at the engraving station at the nearby after-party.
Edebiri happily chatted with "Oppenheimer" star Josh Hartnett during the process, and nearby, "Succession" stars Matthew Macfayden and Nicholas Braun swapped stories, continuing their TV bromance.
In another section of the party, Streisand held court in a heavily guarded and red roped-off VIP area. Sitting on a plush couch next to husband James Brolin, she leaned into an intense conversation with "Rustin" star Colman Domingo and Jessica Chastain over the pounding music. When a lookie-loo tried to take a picture, security got right in his face.
"Barbie" star Ariana Greenblatt shared the best behind-the-scenes tale of how she got her stunning custom-made Vera Wang gown down the red carpet.
The 16-year-old pulled off a standing commute to bring the lavish creation to the Shrine Auditorium in pristine form.
"This velvet is imported from Italy, so this is like my sacred child," Greenblatt says. "Luckily, I had a sprinter van. I stood up the entire way here. To be honest, I have no idea how long it was. I was just trying to chat with people so I wouldn't think about it. Luckily, I had a lot of helping hands."
On the red carpet, Jon Hamm stopped by USA TODAY to recall how he earned his SAG card − a coveted rite of passage for those who dream of acting professionally.
He says he earned it more than 30 years ago after having one line in the 2001 film "Early Bird Special," which also featured Nick Offerman. Hamm can't remember his line from the film, but he does remember the name of his character: "Red-Headed Cop."
"I did not have red hair, nor did I dye my hair," he quipped. Hamm may not have won his category for actor in a TV movie or limited series, which went to Yeun, but he did cameo in Streisand's life achievement award: He watched the tribute from the audience with a big smile on his face.
Michael Cera, who hails from Ontario, Canada, told USA TODAY he got his SAG card from a sitcom called "The Grubbs." It was his first big U.S. job, but it never aired. Still, "it was really a big deal," he said.
