Ariana DeBose, the Academy Award-winning star of Steven Spielberg’s 2021 film adaptation of West Side Story and a presenter at the weekend’s 95th Oscars ceremony on Sunday night, was the guest of honor at an intimate pre-Oscars event in Los Angeles hosted by Omega last week.
The Swiss watchmaker took advantage of a brief window of time in the thick of awards season (and between the rain!) to throw a deluxe dinner party for DeBose, a brand ambassador.
The dinner—held at a private residence in the swankiest part of the Hollywood Hills, an enclave known as the Bird Streets, where sweeping views and privacy are equally guarded—highlighted Omega’s sterling reputation in Hollywood, where, thanks to its 28-year partnership with the James Bond franchise, the brand has long been well regarded.
The celebrity guests in attendance at the DeBose dinner only burnished that image. The eclectic gathering included Ke Huy Quan, the Everything Everywhere All At Once star who took home this year’s Oscar for Best Supporting Actor; Ted Lasso’s Phil Dunster; Westworld’s Angela Sarafyan; the Australian singer Luke Hemmings; the Russian model and actress Sasha Luss; and the actor, singer, and songwriter Darren Criss.
“Tonight was a perfect alignment of stars, right between International Women’s Day and the Oscars,” Arnaud Michon, the president of Omega U.S., said in his welcome remarks.
He then addressed DeBose directly: “We are so happy to have you tonight,” he said. “One year ago, when you were in the middle of all these cocktail parties and red carpets, one thing that didn’t get lost is your smile, your passion, your dedication to your part and to your audience.
“And when we were on our little mountain in Switzerland looking at you, we immediately recognized in you the Omega DNA, the Omega values,” he added. “Because you are so committed to what you do, you are so committed to the precision of what you do. Looking at you, at Westside Story, those steps, those notes, it was us, it was Omega.”
DeBose, who wore a rose gold Constellation model on a bracelet, was as gracious as ever.
“I can’t believe that I’ve made it a year,” she said. “To get anywhere in this industry doing the thing you love, walking a path that is about authenticity and being 100 percent yourself and standing by your values and your commitments and your passions, it’s a blessing. So to find myself here with you all here in this space, let alone celebrating something I have done, is something I will treasure for the rest of my career.”
