What it's like to Attend the Academy Awards

We're going to the Oscars! Amanda Docter takes us onto the red carpet, into the Dolby Theater, and to the swanky after-parties.  Amanda has been to the Academy Awards ceremony eight times; her husband, Pete Docter, is the head of Pixar and has had a hand in creating many of the biggest animated movies of all time... and he's won three Oscars (for Up, Inside Out, and Soul)! Amanda dishes about trains on dresses; gifting suites; her glam squad; what happens during commercial breaks; how it feels to be on live TV; why the Oscar is the ultimate social lubricant; and which celebrity sulked when he realized his seat wasn't in the front row.  Amanda shares how the Oscars compares to other big awards shows... and how being seated across from Paul McCartney at one show created an opportunity that was just too good to pass up.


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Transcript

Wear comfortable shoes. That's an important rule that a lot of people don't look at.

Wear comfy shoes. That's the kind of levelheaded advice you get from someone who has attended the Academy Award Ceremony eight times. I'm Elizabeth Pearson gar. And this is the experience Podcast, the podcast that gets the answers to the questions you've always wanted to ask about the experiences you may never have had. Today, we get to go to the Oscars. At least vicariously. I got all sorts of Inside Scoop during a really fun dishy conversation with Amanda Docter. Unlike the rest of us who park ourselves in front of the television each year to watch the Oscars. Amanda is usually walking the red carpet and sitting in the Dolby Theatre. Her husband Pete Docter is the Chief Creative Officer of Pixar, and has written and directed several hit animated movies. And he's won three Academy Awards for up inside out and sold. Before this interview, Amanda and I had never met, but she's so warm and friendly. I soon felt like we were old friends. 

Hello, Amanda, thank you so much for being here. 

Hi,

Elizabeth. Nice to be here.

I really appreciate this. When I first conceived of the idea for this podcast of behind the scenes, what does it really like to dot dot dot attend the Oscars was kind of at the top of my list because the Academy Awards is one of those things that's for those of us who love movies, it's kind of a part of our lives. We watch it on an annual basis. But it's such an exclusive event. We can never get there. We don't really know what it's like. So here you are an insider. Help us. Tell us how many times you've been and

we have been eight times seven of which Pete was a nominee. The first time was 1996 for Toy Story. And he was a screenwriter. Yes. And I was two weeks away from my due date from our first child. So I was obscenely pregnant.

How did you feel about going that time? I mean, must have been exciting to have your first baby.

Exactly, exactly. So they actually kindly Disney gave us the jet, the corporate jet to fly to and from just to make sure that I could get home if I needed to. I remember one thing that happens at the Academy Awards is that there's a lot of standing ovations and you just get settled sitting down when you're pregnant. And then you have to pull yourself back up and at that was like, I don't need to get up every time.

But let the pregnant lady just continue

exactly. Oh, apart from being seated. 

Yeah,

that was a really unique experience. I'm sure 

yes,

it was. It was fun. As it as they all are in their own surreal way.

Is it still a fun experience, even if you don't come home with the trophy? 

It

is well and so the first four times we went he was a nominee. He lost because the 2009 original screenplay for Wally Wally one for animated feature. But Pete didn't direct it. He was one of the original story guys on it. So it was the fifth time was the charm when he won for animated feature for up in 2010. Then after after he won, we went another year just as, as an Academy member put his name in the lottery to get tickets for seats, and we got them. And so Toy Story three, one, but he didn't really have that much to do with Toy Story three. So we were just kind of going as people in the audience. So that was less pressure, I imagine. Yeah, I said and I don't mean this in any way. I was like being at your little brother's wedding. After you've had your wedding. You're like, okay, you know, we're just gonna sit back and enjoy because we're not in the hot seat. No one's really watching us. Oh, not at all. Not at all. And then we wouldn't for 2016 and he won for animated feature for inside out. And then this past year for soul. We want to get in for animated feature. And some press thing he called himself way back when a four time Academy Award loser. And the academy got a hold of that or heard it and they said no, no, no, no, no, you cannot use that word. You are a nominee. You're not a loser. He liked the idea of sounding like a loser better than a nominee.

Well, I've read that he's a pretty humble down to earth guy. So I bet that's where he was. Yeah, you know, going.

It's such a weird thing. 

Yes, exactly.

Has your experience just thinking about going? I mean, obviously the from the first time you were pregnant, so that was its own thing. 

Yeah. 

Over time. Do you feel like has it become more normal? Or is this something that feels more just part of your life? Or do you feel like each time you go it's a huge event and equally as I don't know, overwhelming or exciting or what word would you use?

I would say yes. And yes, you know, there's something about the wisdom of wear comfortable shoes. That's an important rule that a lot of people don't look at. And I think, I don't know, again, I'm gonna say, with time comes wisdom of, you don't need to kill yourself on what you were and how you're looking, you know, because you've really kind of realized that nobody is looking at you. And there's a lot of freedom in that. You know, there's there's a lot to be said about just going in enjoying and not worrying about press, and they certainly do not care about the animated feature directors, wife. So.

So pressure is off.

Exactly. And once you know, Mom, it's a lot more fun. It's a lot more fun,

 like

the message of soul to just live every moment and just enjoy it.

People will say, Oh, what did you wear, and I'm like, Oh, the way I usually work to find out what I'm going to wear is I go on nordstrom.com Order a whole bunch of dresses have them sent to my house. And in the privacy of my own room, I shall try them on and you know, then you can return what you don't want. And I did that again this year. And while I was trying to find this one needed to be taken in here, and this one was too long and too big. You also don't want to wear a dress with a train. Because there's a lot of people and people step on dresses, you know, just as you're like going through. And you see people you see women getting mad, and you're wearing a lot of volume here, just what to expect. 

You’re looking For trouble!

 Exactly. And people are getting mad and no one to blame but yourself. But I was trying on dresses and I was over my closet and I saw something like, what is this dress from? Where did I wear this old one hanging up here. And I thought, if I don't remember where I wear that dress, new buddy else is going to remember where I wore that dress. So I returned everything that I had ordered, and I wore a dress that I'd worn before. And nobody noticed.

As long as you're talking about that stuff, can you kind of take me through that process. So you you fly down to LA, you're staying in a hotel? 

Yeah,

this is where the Disney machine is big and wonderful and generous. You know, we'll fly down for the weekend. And this is a COVID weekend, this past year was totally different. But normally fly down on, say Wednesday or Thursday. And the Academy has a lot of events planned for all the nominees. There'll be talks and it'll be dinners and stuff like that. So you can actually get to talk with your fellow nominees. And sometimes were invited to what they you've seen them in, they're called gifting suites, where you walk through these hotel rooms or big spaces, and people give you things it's crazy that everything from his socks to sunglasses to jewelry to T shirts to then they all just want famous people to wear them and promote their thing. And somehow we get invited to we only get it we've only been invited to a few of them. And you can see they're a little disappointed when they figure out who we are. You know, they want they want the stars, they want the people and People Magazine, but they're fun. And we'll have dinners with with friends and colleagues and that kind of stuff. And then the Sunday morning, we have a tradition of having breakfast with some dear friends including Richard Sherman, who he and his brother wrote the music for Mary Poppins. And it's a Disneyland stuff. And we've known Richard and Elizabeth for years and so we call them our good luck charm for Sunday morning brunch. Wonderful people. And then at some point they Disney people have hired bless their hearts, makeup and hair person to come take care of both Pete and me. And they also spent an hour and a half on me and four minutes on Pete. So they come to the hotel and they come to the hotel and they have a whole bag their stock 

glam squad. 

Exactly. I always just say I don't want to be embarrassing, and that's my you know, like I don't need to stand out I just don't want to I don't want to stand up for good or bad I just want to blend right in. And you know for Pete they'll you know, pluck a few eyebrows or take a shine off his chin or whatever. And he's he's good to go. And then one of the things of being an animated feature nominee is we know the press don't really care as much as about the celebrities. So they always try to get us to go early so that the red carpet isn't packed. And so we'll walk through when it's pretty light on the crowds some last peek questions and there's usually somebody who walking in front of people hold up a sign kind of announcing who this guy is I'm with and some of the pressure like oh yeah here I have a question and other other pressure like no we're we don't have any questions for him. We don't want to talk to him. We'll pass and he's like good one less he keeps wants to get Yeah, so we make our way through a long girl. He makes way along the red carpet as a guest actually as you enter the the space you go through security and they check make sure you your tickets and your ID. And then there's actually kind of three lane of walking in this long distance and closest to the press, they put all the nominees on the opposite side, they put everybody else, and you just supposed to just keep walking. And those people usually, if you watch the show, usually walk kind of slowly because they want to be seen on TV and it's, you kind of pull yourself off the side, you can linger a little bit longer. And then there's a middle lane as far as somebody called it the carpool lane. And it was for security, or, like people in wheelchairs who need to, like get through. But so you're walking along this long walkway. And some of the you know, sometimes they take it's an hour of press that they'll want to talk to you. And for Pete It's not and I'm over the other side, just kind of waiting for him as I'm kind of staggering along with him

trying to track him as 

Yeah, yeah, down. And then once that's done,

he's free to go in. And you can grab a cocktail and that kind of thing before you get seated in your seat. And then if the show starts at five, at 440, is when all the celebrities actually show up out of the red carpets just crazy. But we're logged in and away from all those guys because they don't want us around. 

So you said

you have your tickets? Are there actual tickets? Like getting into a football game or something?

Let's see do it. Yep. What was your seat? Yes, very much. And the Dolby Theatre, where it normally is, is a huge theater. And the first kind of section the first 12 rows is where most of the nominees and celebrities sit. And everybody else in the back and up in the thing their studio executives and Academy members can put their name in the lottery to buy tickets just to attend the event.

Like the year that you went for Toy Story three, yeah, exactly where you're sitting.

And if you'll notice on TV, all the cameras are aimed at those first, you know, 12 rows that to America wants to see. And they'll put costume designers and, you know, documentary shorts, they'll kind of put the maybe up back in the least along the aisle. So if they win, they can run up. But they're not you know, they know who America wants to see.

They know who is going to get more of the ratings. 

Exactly. Well, faces and

once you know that it's okay. So the year we went to the Academy Awards, when when he wasn't a nominee, it was it was the year Toy Story three came out, he got tickets. So we were seated on the main floor, the Dolby Theater has like two or three balconies, but we happen to get the tickets that were on the floor way back out of Catarino not in those front 12. But back there, and the show hadn't started yet. And there were two seats in front of us that were empty, not yet filled. And I notice down the center aisle over to my left, I look and I see this man and woman come in with an usher who kind of the Usher gestures to these seats in front of us. And the guy looks down and sees that these are not front row. These are not these are back, you know row. And he's kind of sad. We're just all pantomiming we're just observing, you know, basically says to the to the Usher, no and kind of gestures forward, find us some seats up there. Then you see this little Usher who's you know, 21 kind of shuffling back into the outside and this guy is standing in the middle of the just with his arms crossed, waiting, you know, and then you see a senior Usher come up and kind of gesture with this. Sorry, that's these are your seats and kind of gestures over like, this is where you're going to be. And oh, you see the anger. And the guy in the woman comments shuffle in and plunk down in front of us. This is 2011 it was Donald Trump. Ah, he was mad that he wasn't in the front. Up in the front. He was back by us. So Donald and what his his wife whatever her name is, they the whole time she was on her BlackBerry the entire time. They never applauded. They never stood up for any of the standing ovations. And he just sat there with his arms crossed the whole time. So he sat right in vibe of I have a picture. He sat right in front of us. And I could remember describing his hair look like a golden dyed brillo pad. It was kind of kind of airy, and fluffy. So it makes a great story, what the punchline of this picture. The year before when we were there for up our neighbor, local neighbor, at that point worked for Tiffany the store, you know, looking at the store, and he so kindly got me some borrowed loan jewels from Tiffany I'm sure Tiffany was like, Who's this woman? Why are we going okay, well, you know, George works here. So I had hearings and hearings in a ring and a bracelet or something, you know, a couple $100,000 and jewels. 

Oh my goodness. 

And so when we got to the hotel, I put them in the hotel safe and like oh, the last thing I wanted was I'll go there, you know, they were beautiful. No, I did not keep her by them. Then I remember sitting there a year later with Donald Trump and I assume it was his wife. I don't even remember in front of us and like that she didn't borrow those but she got those are just from her Cabinet.

Do you usually get borrowed jewels? The other year? 

No, that was the only time t

hat was the first time because the you know, the celebrities who come down the red? 

Oh, yes, they say the jewels are from so yeah, so yeah. Um, so yeah.

And when you hear they always make a big deal about the Oscar gift bag that people will get, you know, oh, this year, it's a trip to Bora Bora and a new car and blah, blah, blah. That is for the actor and actress. And I think, directors, nobody else gets those gifts. So, you know, people will lie. What are you doing with your new? Did you go to Bora Bora? That's not for us. That's again, not animated feature. No, they know who those go to the people who make it into People Magazine.

Like they really need it free. 

Exactly. 

So they usher you to your seat. And yeah, and you just spected to wait there until the show begins.

Exactly. And though word gets around the order of categories. So you kind of know, you know, we're going to be first category in which is actually great, because it gets it over with, or yeah, you're two thirds in Oh, because you're just a bundle of nerves the whole time you're sitting there, once it's yes or no, you know, you can kind of start breathing again and either enjoy the show. Or you could get up during a commercial break, go out and have a drink and take a while coming back to your seat. Because it's a long show. It's you know, you're sitting for three plus hours.

Yeah, I was wondering about that. If you do either just want to get up or you need to use the restroom, you have to wait for a commercial break, then you can get up and you need to wait till another commercial break to come back and sit down.

Or they'll say 30 seconds. And if you're not back in your seat, they close the doors, those people in the very front, you famously they talk about seat fillers. Yeah, there are people who are hired, who wear nice clothes, and they have a lanyard that says seat filler. And when like 10 seconds to go, if they see that Harrison Ford seats still empty, they'll point to somebody out who's kind of standing along the side, then say you sit in row two. And you know, they throw their lanyard behind them. So it's not hanging on their chest and go sit for that chunk of show because they think an empty seat looks bad.

When you're sitting there. You said, I mean, the nominees are probably pretty nervous. Is the feeling a little bit tense? Or can you sit and actually enjoy the show? And is it fun to watch it? Or do you feel like when you watch at home, is it more enjoyable? 

Well, it

is, you know, it's like watching a football game, you get a better view when you're sitting on your couch than you do when you're on the 20 yard line. So it depends where you're seated. If you can see what's going on, you're not nervous while you're nervous up and tell just because of butterflies until they announce your category. And then you're when they say, you know, next up animated feature. Ah, it's it. So, you know, and then you're just kind of breathing through it.

I would mention that. 

So when you were pregnant, that was a lot of applause standing those. So what else during the show, like, what happens during the commercial breaks? Are people just sitting around kind of bored or

they whip out their phones and or on doing whatever whatever they need to do? Or they've jumped out and gone out to you know, the bathroom or get a drink? Or? Yeah, and they know they're over the loudspeaker saying 60 seconds, 30 seconds, take your seats, you know. And during a commercial break, if you have time, you can go jump up and say hi to somebody and sit back down depending on where you're seated. But mostly it's people getting out their phones and answering the texts that have come

through. 

That's probably it. From friends. Yeah, 

during

this show, Pete and Dana won and they weren't upstage. And Pete accidentally left his phone sitting next to me on this bench, where we were seated. And he goes up and accepts Dana and then they go backstage to do press and Dana's husband, David and I are sitting there. And we knew that we're back on television, and that David and I were actually seen from where the camera angle was, we knew we were on live TV. But we could just feel the the bench just buzzing of all these texts coming for all the phones are just lighting up and we're not going to answer the phone during the show. 

How does

it feel to know that you're on live TV? Even you're not directly on but even sort of in the background? 

Oh, no, it's,

of course it's crazy. Yeah. This show that just a couple months ago, David and I were the US husband, we're just milling about kind of walking along. And we stopped and we talked to somebody and my phone is blowing up and I happen to look at it. And apparently we are straight in line of Glenn Close was talking to the press. I guess we're just we're clear as anything that just we're just chatting having no idea 12 feet away from us as live cameras and oops.

Whereas other people probably would have tried to position themselves Oh, there's Glenn Close. Let's stop right here. 

Oh, yeah, we

do that. People do that all the time. Oh, you're very very nonchalant about it. When we always joke that when after after an award show and the People magazine will come up with all the pictures from the Oscars. We You know, looking at the celebrities, we're looking at the people who are behind, because that's where we see our friends and our people who are just, you know, milling in the back row. Go look, you know, there's so and so looking at her purse in the background, you know,

I watched Pete's acceptance speeches when he won, and they're very lovely. And has he memorize them? You've written them beforehand. And then he memorizes them because he told you about, like, I said, what I wanted to say and, and I wrote, there was one really sweet thing when he won for up. He said, at the end, he thanked your kids and you and then he said, You guys are the greatest adventure. Oh, and I just thought that was so touching and pertinent to the theme of the movie. And I was just wondering how

one of the things once they announced the nominees, which is back eight weeks before the show, so that's when you get down to your five finalists. Soon thereafter, they have a nominee luncheon, and it's down at the Hollywood Beverly Hilton. And it is just for the nominees, a guest and Board of Governors of the of the academy. And it's actually a nice time and you're you're seated, they scatter you tables. So you might be sitting next to I sat next to Rene Zollinger see in Chicago for one year. And she did eat a thing by the way. And you know, and, and directors and the costume designers. And so you're scattered around, and it's a nice, it's a luncheon, but they make a big deal about, okay, so when you get up there, if you get up there, know what you're going to say. And don't just list names, don't just thank your producer and your manager and your publicist in your bubble. Make it from the heart. Don't just ramble off on names. And they'll show clips of people who just list names. You're like, Oh, that is it's just boring for everybody. Yes. So Pete's definitely takes that to heart. And he really works on this on what he's going to say. And he feels like, it feels kind of presumptuous to actually write down because what I'm doing all this what I'm not gonna win, it's what am I doing? But you need to do it. No matter. All five nominees need to know what they're going to say. Because then the person who gets up there, you've seen them who say, Oh, I didn't think I'd when I don't. Yeah, and and then they list their publicist and their manager and their agent and like, they do exactly what they say not to do. And it's kind of a boring speech.

And it's almost a waste of such an opportunity. That whatever they give you 30 seconds a minute, I don't know what it is. 

Oh, yeah.

And there's a clock at you. 

Oh, boy. 

Yeah. So that's it's very, they keep you moving. If you pause, they'll jump in with the music, especially somebody who's not a celebrity. They want to get them off the stage. Keep the show moving along. So he's

worked on those speeches, and he's practiced it at home, just to make sure yes, comfortable. 

But he's not a performer, right. I mean, are so ratably

nerve wracking to him? 

I mean, he has said that, you know, when they say, And the Oscar goes to confesses to a moment of going, I don't want to win. I don't want to go up on stage. I don't want to this heart moving. This is terrifying, just from stage fright. Of course, that's natural. You get up there and you do it. And then from there and just kind of it's just a floating for him. It's just surreal. And you give the speech and then he goes backstage and he's got press to do back there. While I'm still seated through the rest of the show, I don't see him for 45 minutes or an hour, I'll have a seat filler Come sit next to me. You know, while he's, he's backstage doing what he needs to do.

How did it feel for you those times when he his name is called? He leans over and gives you a kiss? And then he's up and up and you're hearing his feet? Are you sort of floating?

Oh, yeah. And I also know that the cameras I'm conscious that the cameras might flash to me so I don't want to be doing anything dumb or I'm incredibly proud, incredibly happy and incredibly relieved. And, oh, we've been nervous about this. And usually, we're sitting by fellow nominees spouses and whatever. So we bond together and are thrilled for our spouses. It's you know, who and so ultimately he will usually come back down seated, you know, with Oscar in hand, 

and it doesn't have his name on it yet right now. 

Yeah, not yet. Okay. And then Show's over and then all the nominees and they had me governors and I imagine I'm not sure what that list is. Well, at from the Dolby go upstairs to the governor's ball. That's the dinner that's famously catered by Wolfgang Puck, and there'll be a up or inside out table and it's all the nominee you know, the sound design nominees and you know, people who are from Pixar will all be seated at the table. And you know, it's a dinner but it's jumping up and talking to people and you can take your Oscar into a room and they have pre engraved all names for the plate and so you give them the Oscar and this is all done under cameras and that's a fun thing to watch. And I'll polish the Oscar and then they'll tiny screw on the plate that says Oscar goes to the doctor. So they They claim they've pre ingredient graved, everybody. But then, as the nominees are announced, they take the winners plaque and put it in one pile and the non winners and tuck them away. 

And as a non winner, you don't get to keep them. You can't ask for the plaque.

Those might get shredded or something. 

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. 

So then do you eat? Are people too nervous to eat? Is it just mingling or it's, you

know, kind of all the above? 

Yeah. If you're seated and talking to somebody, grab a few bites, that's great. Or you're jumping up to go. If you have the Oscar in hand, you feel quite confident going up to somebody in introducing yourself. Hi, Steve Martin, and he Oh, hi. Congratulations. And you know, he's a little more receptive to a stranger coming up. Who's holding an Oscar?

The ultimate social lubricant? 

Oh, yeah, exactly. Exactly.

And then some people just skip the governor's awards and or ball and go straight to studio party. You know, there's a Vanity Fair party and Harvey Weinstein used to have a big party and trying to think of who will have parties. 

Elton John, wasn't he? 

Oh, yeah. We went to an Elton John party. Yeah. I don't know if he still has those or not, we haven't been invited from. And before the night has started, we might hear oh, you've been invited to the Vanity Fair party. Well, that's nice. So you could go win or lose. But if you if you've won, you can go to any party, you and your troupe can walk in, and they'll let the let you in. So even if you weren't invited Elton John's party, you could go to Elton John's party, if you have an Oscar. It's your golden ticket for the night.

Have you guys done that? Do you tend to kind of party hop around,

we've gone to the Vanity Fair spin in a couple different places. And you know it is sit and chat with Don Rickles, it's fun. And they'll have those, you know, photo booths like all parties have these days. And one time there was a group that had just crammed into one of they started. And Pete just walked up absolute strangers, and just slid the curtain down and put the Oscar in to these people's picture. And we just heard this eruption of squeals they grab it. And they took more pictures with us strangers, Oscar, but it's just it's all in good fun. And everyone's so happy. And you know, yeah, it's great. Usually, there's a lot of people from Pixar who have come down for the weekend, who didn't go to the show. And they're all hanging out at the hotel, watching and eating and drinking and you know, just socializing. And so we often want to get back to them because they worked on the movie, and then they came down for this, and we'll go back and we can take off our uncomfortable clothes and shoes and you know, hang out with friends. And that's, that's as fun as anything else.

It sounds like you've met a lot of well known people and interesting people and people you didn't expect to meet just through all these experiences. 

Oh, yeah.

You know, here we are in Northern California, which is not where most studios are. And so for us, it's almost like we get to go down there, play this game, and meet people. And it's funny, it's crazy. And then the next morning, we're back on Southwest flying home and life's back to normal. But exactly, I remember one day coming home, it was a Monday, and I had all the dry cleaning of pizza tucks and my dress. And I needed to go there to the grocery store before I picked up the kids from school and I ran into somebody at the at the dry cleaners. And she said so tell me all about it. And I was like, I gotta go. I gotta I gotta get some milk for the weekend. I remember dumping the clothes on the on the dry cleaners table and kind of like, well, here they are done. That's it.

award season is busy. How late Do you usually stay out that night?

I don't know. Two Three, you know, but then if we go back to the hotel, we're just hanging out with friends. And you know, that could stay another hour or two or to kind of depends how exhausted everyone is and

what a celebration. I mean, when when else in life. Are you staying up till three in the morning? 

Yeah, exactly fun. What do your kids think of all this?

I have always raised the kids just say what you do is not who you are. Your dad is your dad and he farts like everybody else. And he is a great dad and he, you know, leaves the shoes around and he provides well and but the Oscars Don't make him who he is. Win or lose, lose or win, but that's not who he is. And so they know it. They've heard it from me. Both of them keep it pretty down low through school and college and stuff, but their dad has done. So it's fun and they're aware but they also know that it doesn't make you a better or worse person from this. Nobody gives themselves more awards than Hollywood and real estate agents I've always said. So, there's a point in which he chose a job that publicly gets awarded. There should be these big awards for teachers and for you know, and It's just not what our, where our society puts it's what it thinks is important. But I don't want my kids to think that it's their special, you know, there's no reflected glory, they need to stand on their own two feet.

And also, from what I know about him, he didn't get into this for the awards, he got into this know for the, for the love of it and exactly the awards happen to come so 

Exactly. That's a whole different approach to love. Yes, as you can,

please. You know, to some degree, he wishes the award. They're fun. Don't get me wrong. And winning is way more fun than losing. But it's not what you should hang your hat on.

Certainly. And how about for you with your own career and relationship and what you do in the house? I? I know he started as an artist, and now he's sort of an executive. So that's a different role. But do you feel like you have to be the one kind of keeping everything going at home so he can go do his IV?

Yes. I have said many times Pete makes movies and I do everything else he is. And everything else is a lot of else as my mom says Pete's not have a lot of earthly good. Is he? You know, so? What is it what is not true? But I do a lot of things that he has no idea how this got done, and we're a good team. I think he's good at what he does. I'm good at what I do. I think we we complement each other? Well, I don't mind doing that. Some some women might not like it. Some spouses might not like it. I think it works well for us.

That's great. Because yeah, like you said, most careers don't get these sort of accolades like he seems to get. So it's nice that you can support him and not feel like what you do doesn't get a big gold statue. And yeah, national television coverage. But that doesn't mean it's any less important.

And he is one to say he couldn't do what he does without me doing everything else. He knows that I have to remind him every once in a while, but he knows

do look forward to going to future Oscar ceremonies, if you have any

other 

Oh, yeah, it's always fun. It's, it's the build up to I mean, it's all the fun stuff around it. The show itself is a three hours sitting in a in an auditorium. But then you go to parties after you know, it's all it's seeing people that you that you know, or want to know. And you know,

how about compared to other like the Golden Globes or any other is this really the big kahuna that?

Well, it definitely is fun. The award shows there's a few late in the year, and then come after January 1, there's the New York Film Critics Association, there's the National Board of Review, there's the British Academy Awards, the BAFTA does, that's a fun, we get to go to London, and that show clips along in like an hour and a half, they cut in commercial breaks later. So I don't think you get up and go to the bathroom ever. And then every there's the visual effects society. And there's the Producers Guild Awards, and the animation Guild Awards. So there's a lot of different shows, and some are fun, and some are really long. That's where the comfy shoes, the comfy shoes, and well, it's where you wind up kind of pulling out your phone. And when people are not cut off there is that 32nd speech, you actually you do appreciate it. Because some people can really go on and they do list all those names. And the show can get long.

Yeah, those names don't mean anything to anyone except those particular people and you feel like they could they could tell that person in person.

So yeah, every show has its fun part. The Golden Globes, you sit down at a table and you actually eat. And then they, in theory, clear the table. And everyone's been drinking, they have champagne going everywhere. And then the show starts so everyone's much more relaxed because of the drinking. Yeah, and you've been already seated. And you're at a table that should hold eight and it's holding 12. And the next table over is just you know, the backs of the chairs are all together and

and is everyone at your table. 

Like let's say you were there for inside out. Would it all be Pixar people? 

Well, that makes you up for that.

At least the animation category is all in one area. This is a good story. The was the Critics Choice Awards. We were seated with assigned seats. And right across from us was Paul McCartney and his then girlfriend. And we were like, Oh, this is amazing. This Okay, so he sits down. He is so just he knows what he has to do is shake everyone's hand and nice to meet you and get autographs and pictures, whatever. And he sits down. And he was he was up for a song for some movie. I don't even know what it was. And whenever there was a commercial break, and people could jump to the bathroom. Everybody came over to see Paul McCartney. And so we just we didn't move an inch because everyone's coming to our table and it was just great. So Paul, he didn't win whatever his category was, and he didn't really care. I mean, he was there but he didn't look Very wasn't gonna keep him up that night. Next time he could he goes, You know, I'm sneaking out Nice to meet all you and he, you know, ducked down and left the theater. He's allowed to do that. And I promptly reached over, grabbed his half consumed, I think was a margarita glass, dumped out the drink, grabbed his napkin, wrapped it up and stuff the thing in my purse. So I have I haven't here a glass and you can still see look marks on it.

And it was all McCartney's margarita glass. What's the I you know? What are you gonna do? 

You got to do it. Quick thinking, Amanda. 

Yeah, thinking? Why not once in a lifetime. 

Thanks for sharing all your experiences. Yeah, I have a clear vision, red carpet vision of the whole experience now. 

It's, yeah,

it's fun. It's fun.

I loved all of Amanda's stories about the fancy awards shows, a lot of her experiences can apply to all of our lives. Here are some of my takeaways. Number one, what you do is not who you are to, there should be Academy Awards for teachers and first responders and nurses, not just movie folks. Three, sit where you're assigned to sit. Even if you think you deserve to be up front for just because your work doesn't earn you a gold statue or national television recognition. It doesn't mean it's not important. And finally, number five, seize opportunities. When you find yourself metaphorically across the table from Paul McCartney's margarita glass, grab it. I'd like to thank the very kind Amanda doctor for sharing her stories with me. Please visit our website, the experience podcast.net to explore other episodes and find out how to follow us on social media. And if you're enjoying the experience podcast, I'd be so grateful if you'd rate review and subscribe. It helps others discover us a new episode drops every Wednesday. I'm Elizabeth Pearson gar thanks for joining in the experience