Backstage at the Golden Globes

Jan. 17, 2005 — -- The Golden Globes Awards show is otherwise known as Hollywood's biggest party, and this year, Hilary Swank, Annette Bening, Jamie Foxx and Leonardo DiCaprio had extra reason to celebrate.

Here's what some of the winners were saying and doing onstage, backstage and on the red carpet, as the buzz started building for next month's Academy Awards.

Even backstage, Swank continued to thank director Clint Eastwood for winning best actress in a drama for her turn as a boxer in "Million Dollar Baby," after thanking him profusely at the podium, earlier in the evening. She even joked that she'd love to be one of the guys in his next film.

"He's doing a World War II movie and there are no women in it, and I said, 'You know, Clint, I played a boy before," said Swank, 30, who portrayed a cross-dressing teenaged girl in "Boys Don't Cry."

"So, I'm still trying to twist his arm on that one," Swank said, giggling. "I don't think it's working so well."

Swank looked every bit the lady when she made her entrance in a golden Calvin Klein gown. When she was called to the stage, she was a bit more reverential in her tribute to Eastwood, who won honors for best director.

"I don't want to ruin your 'go ahead, make my day image,' but you have such a huge heart and you envelop all the people around you. ... You guided us so brilliantly."

As she concluded her acceptance speech, Swank joked about a mistake she made in her Oscar acceptance speech five years ago, when she forgot to thank her husband.

"Let's see, is there anyone else?" she said, referring to actor Chad Lowe. "You're my rock. Your support is ... I can't even describe it. You're my everything. Thank you."

In "Being Julia," Bening played a British stage diva in the 1930s who takes gleeful revenge on a young starlet who tries to steal her thunder.

After winning best actress in a musical or comedy, Bening spoke out about the real-life challenges facing actresses in Hollywood.

"I think there's no question that sexism exists, but I think that as long as people are willing to fight and create interesting stories that involve women of all different ages, then the movies will get made," the 46-year-old actress said backstage.

Bening and Swank are likely to fight it out for best actress at the Oscars. Nominations will be announced next Tuesday. The two faced each other in 2000, when Bening was nominated for "American Beauty." Swank ultimately won for "Boys Don't Cry."

Another woman joking about her age, Anjelica Huston, said, "Wouldn't you like to know?" when reporters backstage asked what a woman over 40 knows that a woman under 40 doesn't.

The 53-year-old Huston picked up her first Golden Globe award after eight nominations for HBO's "Iron Jawed Angels."

"I spent a lot of my youth feeling insecure," Huston said. "I look back at those pictures and think, 'What was wrong with you?"'

"I couldn't have been a bigger has-been," said Teri Hatcher, 40, who thanked friends, family and her "Desperate Housewives" co-stars for helping revive her career. The former "Lois & Clark" star even thanked ABC for giving "me a second chance at a career."

"All my friends and those agents that stuck around when I couldn't get an audition," Hatcher said, "I would be absolutely nowhere without all of you and you know who you are."

Hatcher beat out "Desperate" co-stars Marcia Cross and Felicity Huffman to win the trophy. They were joined by co-stars Eva Longoria and Nicolette Sheridan to present the nominees for best actor in a TV movie or miniseries.

When show creator Marc Cherry accepted the trophy for best TV comedy series, he told the audience that, just a few years ago, he was a 40-year-old man who had gone 2½ years without even an interview.

Cherry said his big break came when his agent was arrested for embezzlement. Cherry ended up with a new agent and found success when he began selling "Desperate Housewives" as a soap opera instead of a satire. He thanked his mom for her financial support and for giving him the idea for a new TV show.

"Now that's good parenting," Cherry said.