A star-studded host committee, Academy Awards nominees and presenters, along with some of the most powerful industry influencers came together on February 25th, 2017 for the 15th annual ‘Night Before’ party to benefit MPTF.
Credit/Copyright: Getty Images for MPTF
Funds raised during the now-legendary evening will be used to support MPTF in providing social services and financial assistance to the entertainment community, as well as it’s renowned retirement community and innovative programs for seniors and those who care for them. The organization impacts thousands of people each year who have committed their lives to a career in entertainment. The annual event raised $5 million last night, totaling just over $75 million in the event’s history.
The 2017 host committee included a lineup of the industry’s most elite talent, including Amy Adams & Darren Le Gallo, Casey Affleck, Javier Bardem, Jessica Biel & Justin Timberlake, Tanya Haden Black & Jack Black, Kate Capshaw & Steven Spielberg, Jessica Chastain, Amal & George Clooney, Tom Cruise, Luciana & Matt Damon, Viola Davis & Julius Tennon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Chris Evans, Jake Gyllenhaal, Brie Larson, Janelle Monae, Dev Patel, Natalie Portman, Jada Pinkett Smith & Will Smith, Octavia Spencer, Emma Stone, Alicia Vikander, Pauletta & Denzel Washington, Reese Witherspoon, and more.
Attending guests included Jovan Adepo, Riz Ahmed, Malin Akerman, Jessica Alba, Stephen Amell, Dave Annable, Caitriona Balfe, Elizabeth Banks, Kate Beckinsale, Betsy Brandt, Jordana Brewster, Adrien Brody, Yvette Nicole Brown, Erika Christensen, Sacha Baron Cohen, Lily Collins, Dominic Cooper, Laverne Cox, Jackie Cruz, Laura Dern, Nina Dobrev, Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass, Clea Duvall, Ava DuVernay, Nathalie Emmanuel, Isla Fisher, Michael J. Fox, Andrew Garfield, Tony Goldwyn, Beth Grant, Grace Gummer, Tony Hale, Armie Hammer, Evan Handler, Marcia Gay Harden, Josh Hartnett, Salma Hayek, Simon Helberg, Cheryl Hines, Aldis Hodge, Katie Holmes, Vanessa Hudgens, Isabelle Huppert, Brian d’Arcy James, Ken Jeong, January Jones, Keegan-Michael Key, Jaime King, Aja Naomi King, Zoe Kravitz, Nick Kroll, Christine Lahti, Brie Larson, Kenneth Lonergan, Melanie Lynskey, Kelly McCreary, Matthew Morrison, Ruth Negga, Thandie Newton, BJ Novak, Jack O’Connell, Bob Odenkirk, Timothy Olyphant, Chord Overstreet, Teresa Palmer, Jim Parsons, Aaron Paul, Jeff Perry, Freida Pinto, Glen Powell, Zachary Quinto, Retta, Jason Ritter, Anika Noni Rose, Andy Samberg, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Abigail Spencer, Jeffrey Tambor, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Juno Temple, Emily VanCamp, Vince Vaughn, Jon Voight, Michaela Watkins, Mykelti Williamson, Alfre Woodard, Bellamy Young, and more.
This year’s generous presenting sponsors included Chrysler, Delta Air Lines, L’Oréal, Target, and The Hollywood Reporter. The event was held at Fox Studios, where Carmelized Productions by Jon Shook & Vinny Dotolo provided specialty foods for the guests and Lavazza, as the official coffee of the ‘Night Before,’ provided its signature espresso.
“It’s hard to put into words what the success of the Night Before has meant to MPTF over these past 15 years,” said Jeffrey Katzenberg, Chairman of the MPTF Foundation. “The event has raised over $75 million to date helping thousands of industry members. In addition to celebrating the artistic achievements of the nominees, the event shines a very bright light on the incredible compassion the Hollywood community extends to each other by supporting the MPTF legacy of Caring For Our Own, a legacy that last year helped thousands in need.”
“MPTF is very fortunate to have the support of our incredible presenting sponsors – Target for the past 13 years, L’Oréal for the past 12 years, as well as Chrysler and The Hollywood Reporter for the past 4 years, and Delta Air Lines for the past 3 years – for making it possible for MPTF to bring the entertainment community together in such an enjoyable and yet meaningful celebration. To each of our sponsors and donors, I want to offer my deepest sense of gratitude for the vital financial support generated by this event,” added Ken Scherer, CEO of the MPTF Foundation.
The ‘Night Before,’ held annually the night before the Academy Awards has become one of the most coveted invitations in town since its inception in 2003.
