Jamie Lee Curtis quips ‘don’t cancel me,’ Brendan Fraser in shock: What we saw backstage at the Oscars

When it comes to the Oscars, the telecast only tells you part of the story.

Home viewers saw “Everything Everywhere All at Once” star Ke Huy Quan break down on stage following his best supporting actor win and co-star Michelle Yeoh make history as the first Asian woman to win best actress.

But so much more happened in the Dolby Theatre and backstage in media room, Jamie Lee Curtis cracked an edgy joke in front of a room full of reporters – and quickly regretted it. And an emotional Brendan Fraser received a standing ovation from press.

Here’s a peek at the moments you didn’t catch on TV:

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Pedro Pascal on the 95th Academy Awards red carpet.

Pedro Pascal had no clue he was in the Oscar monologue

Before heading into the theater, stars enjoyed personal moments on the Oscar champagne-color carpet. Steven Spielberg and wife Kate Capshaw caught up with Spielberg’s sisters Anne, Sue and Nancy for hugs, family photos and tearful congrats. “I am so proud of you,” Sue Spielberg said to her director brother.

Michelle Yeoh made a sudden sharp diversion to seek out and hug her “Everything Everywhere All at Once” co-star Stephanie Hsu. After exchanging whispers Hsu told Yeoh: “Now you go have fun.”

As showtime approached, “The Last of Us” star Pedro Pascal was escorted swiftly toward the theater entrance. Pascal’s minder told theater staff: “Please take him to his seat, he’s in the monologue.”

Without breaking stride, the startled Pascal asked, “Wait, who is in the monologue?” He might have been surprised by the brief appearance, but, when called out by host Jimmy Kimmel in the opening number, Pascal played his small part perfectly.

Brendan Fraser gets standing ovation backstage, brings girlfriend

It was all about comebacks and historic wins this award show season.

Best actor winner for “The Whale,” Fraser, received a standing ovation from members of the press backstage. His partner Jeanne Moore, clad in an electric blue gown, held an Oscars program and watched him with a proud smile. She stood on the sidelines alongside Fraser’s two sons Holden and Leland.

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“When I first heard my name, I thought, ‘That can’t be right.’ But it was. ‘So, I guess I should get up there and say something,’ ” Fraser said teary-eyed. “I hope that I live up to this.”

Michelle Yeoh shades Don Lemon’s comment on women’s ‘prime’

“We friggin’ broke that glass ceiling,” Michelle Yeoh said. “We need this because there’s so many who have felt unseen unheard. … For anybody who’s been identified as a minority, we deserve to be heard. We deserve to be seen.”

After her historic best actress win,  Yeoh thanked the Academy for awarding her with an Oscar.

“We friggin’ broke that glass ceiling,” she said. “For anybody who’s been identified as a minority, we deserve to be heard. We deserve to be seen.”

She also reiterated her quip in her acceptance speech, in which she seemed to reference CNN anchor Don Lemon’s controversial comments about women aging out of their “prime.”

“Finally after 40 years, I get this. It just goes to show we will win the battle,” she said. “Never give up, because once you give up, then it’s a loss… Don’t let anybody put you in a box. Don’t let anybody say you’re past your prime.”

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Ke Huy Quan: From uninsured to Oscar winner

As an emotional Quan talked to reporters backstage at the Oscars, he said he couldn’t help but think of a time not so long ago when he lost his health insurance.

He also said he struggled during the pandemic to get work.

“I would call (my agent) once every three months,” he said. “I would say, ‘Hey, is there anything out there for me?’ And the answer would always be the same: ‘There’s nothing out there but I’ll continue to look.'”

The first thing Quan said he’s going to do Monday morning is call his agent.

“So hopefully when I call my agent tomorrow he will give me a different answer,” Quan said, prompting laughter.

It’s a long way from the days when Quan, at the advice of agents, changed his name to one that sounded American in hopes of getting more work.

“It’s insane that at one point I would try a different name,” he said. “So when I decided to get back into acting, which was three years ago, the very first thing I wanted to do is go back to my birth-given name, and tonight to see Ariana (DeBose) open that envelope and say Ke Huy Quan, that was a really, really special moment for me.”

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Jamie Lee Curtis confuses press room: ‘Don’t cancel me’

Jamie Lee Curtis begged not to be canceled on the same night as winning her first Oscar after she accidentally insulted a journalist from Hungary.

Curtis begged not to be canceled the same night as winning her first Oscar after she accidentally insulted a journalist from Hungary.

Fresh off her win for best supporting actress for “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” Curtis answered questions from members of the news media who were in person and in a virtual press room.

When it was announced the next question would be virtual, Curtis thought that meant the question was coming from Twitter, not a real person.

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“By the way, the virtual people don’t get (expletive),” Curtis said. “They don’t get the food … they’re at home, their kids are screaming, their husband’s cheating on them … They want to be here with you people so bad.”

When the virtual journalist from Hungary started asking the question, Curtis was mortified.

“Don’t cancel me! Please do not cancel me because I assumed that your husband is cheating on you,” she said. “I literally thought when they said digital that it was like, virtual. I thought it was a tweet question. Seriously, do not ruin this moment.”

Cara Delevingne and Florence Pugh catch up

As the Academy Award ceremony was going on inside, celebrities snuck out to mingle with fellow stars.

Cara Delevingne and Florence Pugh were spotted in the lobby laughing and dancing.

Jonathan Majors made a beeline for Jay Ellis, Monica Barbaro, Greg Tarzan Davis and the rest of the “Top Gun: Maverick” cast to say hello and chat for a bit before being approached by a young fan. The “Creed III” star and the child took a quick photo before Majors returned to the theater.

Pregnant Rihanna had backup getting ready for her performance

Plenty was going on behind the scenes as the stage was getting prepared for Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up” performance, which was nominated for best original song. Crew quickly pulled out backdrops for the Fenty mogul’s set while platforms emerged from the stage’s floor.

As Danai Gurira was introducing performance, the pregnant Rihanna was guided onto her podium by four crew members. Once on her platform, Rihanna was enjoying herself, swaying back and forth and rolling her shoulders in preparation for her song. Following her emotional performance, the artist was then assisted carefully down from the platform.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Oscars: Jamie Lee Curtis jokes ‘don’t cancel me,’ stars hang backstage