How Da’Vine Joy Randolph Got Ready for a Triumphant Night at the Golden Globes 2024

By the time Da’Vine Joy Randolph comes to the phone during her prep for the Golden Globes 2024, the star of The Holdovers has already slipped into a state of mind-body equilibrium—something of a feat for a nominee soon to claim the evening’s statue for best supporting actress. “You’ve got to keep in mind we’re running, running, running, and the whole time doing it in heels,” the actor says of the wear and tear of awards season. But Randolph knows how to even the keel. “I usually like to start the morning for awards-show days with a really good massage, to just rid me of all the toxins and take any puffiness away,” she says. A soundtrack of Tibetan sound bowls sets a contemplative mood. A FaceGym session, with gua sha and microcurrent, sculpts the jawline. An IV drip is on the docket. “Those are really great—huge lifesavers,” Randolph says. “It helps get you that extra boost of hydration, but also the vitamins to keep you going with this crazy schedule.” After all, the hyper-speed days can unsettle even the most grounded performer. “It’s overwhelming,” Randolph exhales. “I think, like Mary”—her Holdovers character, a prep-school cafeteria administrator working through layers of grief—“I’m just trying to pace myself, and just live in the moment and be present.” 

Tai Simon finessed Randolph’s hair, while Sheika Daley orchestrated the monochromatic makeup, with screen-star lashes amplified by Lancôme’s Monsieur Big mascara.

Conrad Captures.

Randolph, a vocalist and Yale School of Drama alum, has continually made her mark across stage and screen. Her turn as the psychic Oda Mae Brown in Broadway’s Ghost earned her a Tony nomination in 2012; scene-stealing roles followed in film (Dolemite Is My Name, Rustin) and television (High Fidelity, Only Murders in the Building). What she brings to The Holdovers—Alexander Payne’s 1970 set piece about three lonely souls weathering the holiday break at a Massachusetts boarding school—hits at a quieter register, simmering with pain and tenderness and barbed humor. Randolph’s character, mourning the loss of her teenage son in the Vietnam War, is the kind of self-possessed woman who dresses sharply for a Christmas party before unspooling into whiskey-soaked sorrow. The performance has stirred early Oscar buzz (nominations land January 23) along with designer interest. After Rodarte’s Kate and Laura Mulleavy watched the movie, the pair reached out to the studio about dressing Randolph. “I couldn’t even believe it,” the actor says, “because it had always been a dream of mine to work with them.” Meanwhile, Randolph’s styling duo, Wayman and Micah, floated their own inquiry Rodarte’s way: kismet.

The custom Rodarte dress, featuring a mermaidesque beaded bodice.

Conrad Captures.

This pairing for the Globes felt ordained: two forces, in performance and fashion, that operate on cerebral yet deeply human levels. For Randolph, the designers created a custom dress in burgundy silk—tiered waist, floor-skimming train—accented by a beaded bodice that resembled two open clamshells. “It has just such an effortless glamour and sophistication, very elevated and so feminine,” Randolph says. “You know how when you have something really beautiful in your closet and it doesn’t matter when you wear it, it’ll always hit? That’s how I feel [about] this dress.”

Lancôme global makeup artist Sheika Daley, who began working with Randolph during last spring’s press cycle for The Idol, continued the monochromatic theme: “We wanted her to be really polished and classic.” A base of hydration got things rolling, including Lancôme’s Absolue serum and moisturizer, reuseable eye patches by Dieux for a smooth canvas, and a cushiony salve to prep the lips. “She’s got really great skin,” says Daley, describing her judicious approach to complexion: a thin coat of Teint Idole in the actor’s skin tone, followed by highlight and contour using peripheral shades. To elongate Randolph’s gaze, the makeup artist applied a gradient of plum shadows in a diffuse cat-eye shape, with pale shimmer evoking the beaded décolletage. There were fluttery lashes by Daley’s own line, Elora Lane, and a creamy raspberry lip (matte lipstick in Got Me Blushing for a stay-put effect, topped with Lancôme’s clear Juicy Tubes gloss). The finishing touch was an element of Randolph’s usual look that she had to leave behind while playing the hardworking cook in The Holdovers. “Baby, the nails are back! And I am so excited,” the actor reports, crediting Temeka Jackson with the jewel-accented manicure.