NET-A-PORTER Limited
Evergreen banners (with copy & CTA)

Cosmopolitan’s Fun, Fearless Awards Gala


Dakota Fanning, Freida Pinto and Rose Byrne

Photos: Patrick McMullan

Dakota Fanning, Freida Pinto and Rose Byrne.

“Did you see my wife?” Blake Shelton asked shortly after arriving at Cosmopolitan’s Fun, Fearless Awards gala on March 5. “I mean, she came in here, took a picture and then made a beeline for the bar. She’s like, ‘Oh, are you going to do interviews? Okay, I’ll be at the bar. See you later,’” the star of The Voice said of wife Miranda Lambert. “And that’s exactly what I would have done to her had I been in that situation,” he added.

And that relaxed attitude pervaded the entire evening. “We look for an interesting mix, and we really do try to look for people who are fun, they don’t take it too seriously,” explained Cosmo editor Kate White. “Someone like Jonah Hill or Paul Rudd fits that category so wonderfully. And then we look for people who take chances with their careers. Like Rose Byrne, to me, is a perfect example because we know her from Damages as somebody who plays this really serious role, but then she’s so fantastic in Bridesmaids.”

Among this year’s fun, fearless folks was hunky Liam Hemsworth, who was besieged with questions about his upcoming movie The Hunger Games. Co-star Jennifer Lawrence, he said, was “an incredible person to work with; extremely kind and energetic, and a ridiculously talented actress.” The blond Aussie dyed his hair dark for the role. “I’ve never dyed my hair for anything before, and it took a little getting used to,” he said. Meanwhile, Cosmo is famous for its racy advice, and we wondered what tips the mag might bestow on the lady in his life—that would be Miley Cyrus. “A sense of humor is always a great thing to have. Put that in there,” Hemsworth told FashionEtc.

Dakota Fanning is Cosmo’s cover girl, and we wondered if there’s anything about guys she just can’t figure out. “A lot of things! I read Cosmo for tips,” she laughed. The actress also talked about her latest brave feat: enrolling at New York University. “I’ve now started college, and I’ve turned 18 and I now live in New York and it’s very scary,” she said. “But I am trying to remember to be fun and fearless, so this award has reminded me of the importance of that.”

Photo: Patrick McMullan
Blake and Miranda Shelton.

Freida Pinto said she was at her most fearless on a recent film shoot. “I was shooting this film in Tunisia, last year when the revolution broke out, and everybody fled the scene, and Antonio Banderas and I just decided to stay back,” Pinto said. “I was like, you know what, if it’s happening, I’m going to witness the making of history, so I just decided to stay.”

Paul Rudd claimed to be confused by being named fun and fearless. “When you think of the word ‘fun,’ you picture somebody that’s kind of embracing life and living life to the fullest, and not somebody who just, you know, wants to sit around and watch documentaries,” he said. “And fearless… I scream if I see a frog.”

Despite his Oscar nomination, Jonah Hill noted that he’d never before won an award. “I’d like to thank you, Cosmo, for this award,” he told the dinner crowd at the Mandarin Oriental. “But most of all I’d like to thank you for all the tips you have taught the very few women that I have been able to trick into sleeping with me.”