Ariana Grande's secret SAG Awards selfie, Jason Segel in a towel: What you didn't see on TV

Let's be real: You probably didn't watch the SAG Awards on Netflix. And that's OK. Really, it is.

That's because let's face it: The best part of any awards show is not the awards show or the red carpet. Yes, we said it. It's the little moments that happen behind the scenes.

It's when celebrities chat each other up, looking to make more famous friends and, also probably, angle for their next awards-worthy role. It's when stars forget they're famous for a second and ask another actor for a selfie, sometimes just before that actor was going to ask them for a selfie (oh, hey, Ariana Grande and Kerry Washington). It's when they mob free pizza during the show, only this pizza is topped with caviar, not pepperoni.

None of these things make it on TV − that's where we come in. Here's what we saw and heard at the 31st Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Ariana Grande, Kerry Washington take selfie at secret entrance, other stars schmooze away from press

Ariana Grande arrives for the 31st annual Screen Actors Guild awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Feb. 23, 2025.
Ariana Grande arrives for the 31st annual Screen Actors Guild awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Feb. 23, 2025.

Something about Hollywood: They're never not networking. And when stars finally made it to the end of the red carpet, they really let their guard down, thinking they'd finally escaped the prying eyes of the press. (Sorry, celebrities − little did you know, we were there watching it all.)

ADVERTISEMENT

Michael Urie and Harrison Ford had a sweet heart-to-heart (in a certain light, they almost look like father and son). So did Andrew Scott and Jeremy Strong. Scott whipped around to give Strong a hug, and the two had an intense conversation in hushed tones (if only this reporter could read lips).

Grande popped through a secret side entrance, just as Washington walked by. The two jumped at the sight of each other and launched into spirited conversation, punctuated by a selfie on Washington's phone.

Timothée Chalamet, Ralph Fiennes dodge Polaroid Man, others not so lucky

The celebs weren't alone − they were also in the midst of Polaroid Man, a guy whose main task, it seemed, was to take a Polaroid picture of every A-lister making their way into the Shrine Auditorium. (You know how bridges in fairy tales have a troll that asks you a riddle before you can pass? At the SAG Awards, it's a man who takes your Polaroid.)

He interrupted Scott and Strong's convo to ask the actors for a picture, which they happily obliged, as did Mikey Madison, a seemingly makeup-free Pamela Anderson, Molly Shannon, Grande and Cynthia Erivo, who shot the camera a deadly smize. Other celebrities, like Ralph Fiennes and Timothée Chalamet, however, made their way into the theater so swiftly that poor Polaroid Man didn't have a chance so much as to say hello. Who knows − maybe he snagged their photos on the way out.

Kristen Bell, Sheryl Lee Ralph pay respects to police officers standing by

Two of the hottest stars of the night were a pair of young police officers stationed by the entrance. Some celebrities were quite grateful for their presence − like "Abbott Elementary" star Sheryl Lee Ralph, who brought her hands together in a prayer position and gave a short bow to them. "Thank you, all," she said.

ADVERTISEMENT

SAG Awards host Kristen Bell went a step further, walking up to the officers and asking for a picture. The officers seemed a bit confused by the request, but they went along with it, not ones to turn down photos with a fan. "Thank you for being here," Bell told them. Before the SAG Awards officially started, the first responders present were given a 20-second standing ovation by the star-studded crowd.

Jason Segel is the guy waiting for Kristen Bell in a towel at the bar

Jason Segel at SAG Awards on Feb. 23, 2025, in Los Angeles.
Jason Segel at SAG Awards on Feb. 23, 2025, in Los Angeles.

Who could forget Sarah Marshall? Apparently, not Jason Segel and Bell. The two actors, who starred in 2008's "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," stepped back into their characters from the movie for a skit during the telecast − but only after they rehearsed it at a bar midshow.

During the brief run-through, Segel wrapped an olive green towel around his waist and waited at the bar without explanation, sometimes looking suave while waving at passersby. When Bell finally showed up, the two jumped into rehearsal. "We still got it," Segel said. "Yes, we do!" Bell responded. During showtime, the skit went off without a hitch, with Segel giving the iconic towel surprise before walking off-camera. Ever a gentleman, he waited with Bell's purse until she finished.

Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldaña share shocked exchanges backstage after wins

Selena Gomez at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Feb. 23, 2025, in Los Angeles.
Selena Gomez at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Feb. 23, 2025, in Los Angeles.

Zoe Saldaña was so touched by her SAG win that even 20 minutes later, she stood off stage with her team and wiped tears, gave hugs, and then started spontaneously jumping in the air while fanning her face with one hand. When she finally collected herself, Saldaña swanned backstage where she bumped into her equally shocked "Emilia Pérez" co-star Selena Gomez, who carried her award for "Only Murders in the Building."

ADVERTISEMENT

There was only time for the quickest of hugs before Gomez continued on her way. "I've never done this before. Where do I go?" the stunned actress said after exiting backstage. "I still can’t believe it." Gomez was shortly directed along with her co-stars to waiting photographers, where the victory yells got loud.

Demi Moore forgot her glasses, Ralph Fiennes wishes he did

Demi Moore zipped into the SAG Awards after-party to the engraving room to get her actor award personalized. Well-wishers so besieged Moore that the actress had to be informed formally that the engraving process was complete. "I don't have my glasses on," Moore said, squinting. "But thank you. Thank you all so very much."

Fiennes, however, did not forget his glasses − although he seemed to wish he did. The actor posed for photos with his engraved statue before realizing he still had his reading glasses on. "Hold on, hold on," he told the photographer, before flipping the glasses off. The engraving staff thought it was a good call, with one giving an "Oh, yeah," as Fiennes beamed happily with his statue, spectacles-free.

Timothée Chalamet gives his own private 'Yay!' for his SAG Award

Timothée Chalamet poses in the press room with the award for male actor in a leading role for "A Complete Unknown."
Timothée Chalamet poses in the press room with the award for male actor in a leading role for "A Complete Unknown."

Chalamet is not a complete award show unknown, with his first major award Sunday for best actor. The star dropped his trophy off and graciously posed for selfies with fans as his actor got engraved. When it was finished, Chalamet held up his actor trophy in one hand and the gift bottle of champagne in the other, giving a celebratory "Yay!" to his father Marc. Then he hugged his dad, telling him, "I'll probably call you in an hour." It took about an hour for Chalamet to exit, as he obliged every selfie request on his way out the door.

The real SAG Awards after-party heroes? Jodie Foster and Keri Russell

The hardest partiers of the night? Believe it or not, Jodie Foster and Keri Russell. The former stayed late with her son Charles, who led her through a crowd as she clutched his arm. The latter got wild − dancing up a storm to "Once in a Lifetime" by the Talking Heads with her "The Diplomat" co-stars. We're talking all-out dancing: laughing, hands in the air, jumping up and down. Can she come to every awards show after-party, please?

ADVERTISEMENT

Perhaps ironically, one of the quietest partiers was Mark Eydelshteyn of "Anora." Despite playing the rowdy son of a Russian oligarch, at the SAG Awards, the 23-year-old actor stood quietly, no drink in hand, before making a subtle exit at a demure 8:06 p.m. With a full night of sleep ahead, he just might be the real winner of the evening.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: SAG Awards moments not on TV: Timothee Chalamet has private 'Yay!'