Oscars 2015: Nominees gather to bask, kibbutz at annual luncheon

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The 87th Academy Award nominee class during the Oscar luncheon held at the Beverly Hills Hilton. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Bradley Cooper checks in at the Beverly Hills Hilton for the Oscar nominees luncheon for the 87th Academy Awards. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Bradley Cooper greets Clint Eastwood at the nominees luncheon. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Aneta Kopacz, from left, nominated for documentary short subject (“Joanna”), Abderrahmane Sissako, nominated for foreign film (“Timbuktu”), and Rory Kennedy, nominated for documentary feature (“Last Days in Vietnam”), arrive at the Beverly Hills Hilton. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Greg Landaker and Garry Rizzo, nominees for sound mixing for “Interstellar,” arrive at the Beverly Hills Hilton for the Oscar nominees luncheon. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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“Gone Girl” actress Rosamund Pike arrives at the Beverly Hills Hilton for the Oscar nominees luncheon for the 87th Academy Awards. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Richard Stammers and Tim Crosbie, nominees for visual effects for “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” arrive at the Beverly Hills Hilton. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Animator Don Hall, left, producer Roy Conli and director Chris Williams, from “Big Hero 6,” pose on the red carpet at the nominees lucheon. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Oscar host Neil Patrick Harris, nominee Common and “American Sniper” director Clint Eastwood arrive for the nominees luncheon. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Becky Sullivan and Andrew Decristofaro, sound editors for “Unbroken,” are all smiles at the Oscar nominees luncheon. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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A nominee for original music for “Begin Again,” Danielle Brisebois arrives at the Beverly Hills Hilton. (Rob Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Oscar President Cheryl Boone-Isaacs greets host Neil Patrick Harris on the red carpet at the 87th Academy Awards nominees luncheon. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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J.K. Simmons and Bradley Cooper chat at the luncheon. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Morten Tyldum, director of “The Imitation Game,” Charlie Siskel, nominated for documentary feature (“Finding Vivian Maier”) and Orlando Von Einsiedel and Joanna Natasegara, nominees for documentary feature (“Virunga”) arrive for the luncheon. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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“Foxcatcher” director Bennett Miller, left, and makeup artist Bill Corso arrive at the Beverly Hills Hilton. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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“Two Days, One Night” actress Marion Cotillard, from left, “How to Train Your Dragon 2” producer Bonnie Arnold and writer/director Dean DeBlois, and “Selma” producer/costar Oprah Winfrey arrive for the luncheon. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Director Clint Eastwood and Oscar-nominated actor Bradley Cooper walk the red carpet together at the 87th Academy Awards nominees luncheon. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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“Foxcatcher” actor Steve Carell laughs with makeup artist Bill Corso at the Beverly Hills Hilton’s Oscar nominees luncheon. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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“American Sniper” actor Bradley Cooper, “Gone Girl” actress Rosamund Pike and “Birdman” actor Michael Keaton at the Oscar nominees luncheon. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Ronan Blaney and Michael Lennox, nominees for live action short film (“Boogaloo and Graham”) make their way down the red carpet to the nominees luncheon. (Rob Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Ellar Coltrane and director Richard Linklater of “Boyhood” arrive at the Beverly Hills Hilton. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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“Wild” actress Reese Witherspoon arrives at the Beverly Hills Hilton for the Oscar nominees luncheon for the 87th Academy Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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“Foxcatcher” actor Steve Carell arrives at the Beverly Hills Hilton. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Acting nominees Felicity Jones (“The Theory of Everything”), left, Laura Dern (“Wild”) and Emma Stone (“Birdman”) arrive at the Oscar nominees luncheon. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Oprah Winfrey, one of the producers of “Selma,” is hurried along at the Beverly Hills Hilton for the Oscar nominees luncheon. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Acting nominee Eddie Redmayne, from “The Theory of Everything,” waves on the red carpet. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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“The Judge’s” Robert Duvall gets a hug and a kiss from fellow Oscar nominee and “Wild” actress Laura Dern. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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“Still Alice’s” Julianne Moore takes a photo with a guest upon her arrival at the Oscar nominees luncheon. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Oprah Winfrey and Larry Gordon, producers of “Selma,” arrive at the Beverly Hills Hilton. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Acting nominees Steve Carrell (“Foxcatcher”), Edward Norton (“Birdman”) and J.K. Simmons (“Whiplash”) at the Oscar nominees luncheon. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Acting nominees Julianne Moore (“Still Alice”), left, and Patricia Arquette (“Boyhood”) are pictured alongside actress America Ferrera. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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“Boyhood” actress Patricia Arquette arrives at the Beverly Hills Hilton for the 87th Academy Awards’ Oscar nominees luncheon. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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“Two Days, One Night’s” Marion Cotillard takes a photo with fans as she arrives at the Beverly Hills Hilton for the Oscar nominees luncheon. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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“The Judge” supporting actor nominee Robert Duvall signs autographs at the Oscar nominees luncheon. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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America Ferrera arrives, and continues the fan-photo trend, at the Beverly Hills Hilton for the Oscar nominees luncheon. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Common, who co-wrote “Selma’s” Oscar-nominated song “Glory,” poses for photos with fans at the Beverly Hills Hilton. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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“Wild’s” Reese Witherspoon arrives at the Beverly Hills Hilton for the Oscar nominees luncheon. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

By Rebecca Keegan

and Tre’vell Anderson

Feb. 2, 2015 6:55 PM PT

When Neil Patrick Harris rose to a podium at the Beverly Hilton on Monday afternoon, the Oscar host promised the assembled group of Academy Award nominees, including Clint Eastwood, Oprah Winfrey, Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone and Common, that at this year’s show, “everything will be hilarious.”

After a beat, Harris tried the line again. And then, pulling from his pocket a retro-style hypnosis spiral, he repeated it a third time, with an expletive for added emphasis.

On the occasion of the motion picture academy’s annual Oscar nominees luncheon, Harris took the opportunity to get the room on his side before everybody meets again in less than three weeks in front of just under a billion viewers around the world.

Attended this year by more than 150 of the 195 nominees, from little-known short-film makers to A-list stars, the luncheon was a multipurpose Hollywood event. The nominees get to bask and kibitz with academy members and colleagues without the pressure of waiting for a name to be called (or not). And for the Oscar telecast’s producers, it was a chance to enlist the group as co-conspirators in executing an entertaining, well-paced show.

Academy members will cast their votes for the Oscars between Feb. 6-17. The 87th Academy Awards will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Feb. 22.

“Last year, we didn’t have to play anybody off,” said Craig Zadan, who is producing the show for a third year in a row with partner Neil Meron.

Zadan reminded nominees that they would have just 45 seconds to accept their awards and that they should designate a speaker for groups of winners, two rules that drew some heckling and cries of “no!” from the audience.

“Don’t wing it,” Zadan warned.

When it comes to speeches, however, nominees all have their own approach. Speaking to journalists before the luncheon, lead actor nominee Michael Keaton said he would try to follow his son’s advice: “Dad, remember, you get kind of tangential. Keep it kind of focused.”

“It’s nice to be older, because you don’t care about a lot of things,” said the “Birdman” star. “You know… I’m going to say what I want to say and how I feel.”

The nominee luncheon was a capstone for many on the long, often surreal awards trail.

Laura Poitras, director of “Citizenfour,” a documentary about National Security agency whistle-blower Edward Snowden, noted that she had been sharing ballroom space with “Boyhood’s” filmmakers for months and that she had forged a friendship with that film’s supporting actress nominee, Patricia Arquette.

“They’re both movies that involved a great deal of risk,” Poitras said of the ties that bind “Citizenfour” and “Boyhood.”

Supporting actor nominee Robert Duvall seemed certain that he wouldn’t win the second Oscar of his career for his performance in “The Judge.” But the legendary 84-year-old actor had attained another goal this awards season — fitting in his suit for the first time in five years.

“I’ve been working out to keep up with the young actors,” Duvall said.

Eddie Redmayne, at 33 one of the younger nominees, seemed to be soaking up the awards experience.

When the lead actor nominee traveled recently with his Golden Globe for “The Theory of Everything,” airport security screeners zoomed in on the trophy in his bag.

“I was really hoping they would make me take it out,” Redmayne said. “And they did. That was a very special moment.”

Redmayne said he’d resolved to stay in the moment, however.

“It’s bad luck if you start overpreparing,” he said. “I never dream too far in the future.”

rebecca.keegan@latimes.com

trevell.anderson@latimes.com