Rose Byrne, who is nominated for best actress for If I had Legs I'd Kick You, was there on Tuesday, alongside fellow Australian and Jacob Elordi who is up for best supporting actor for Frankenstein.
They joined Jessie Buckley, Timothée Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio and Emma Stone for lunch and stood for a class photo alongside nominees for awards including best animated short and the newly created casting Oscar.
The ballroom at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, was especially full of nominees for Sinners, the most nominated film of all time, including star Michael B Jordan and director Ryan Coogler.
Elordi, who stands 6-foot-5, embraced the nearly as tall director of Sirât, Oliver Laxe, near the entrance and attracted the attention of most of the cameras in the room.
Lynette Howell Taylor, elected in July as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, made her first address to Oscar nominees, and gave them a set of instructions on how to handle their acceptance speeches if they win.
"Be prepared," she said.
"Don't say you didn't expect it. You have a one-in-five chance of winning."
She urged winners to "make it heartfelt," not to try to thank everyone they can think of, pick one person to speak for a group of victors and hold speeches to 45 seconds.
The luncheon is a relatively egalitarian affair where big names mix with small ones and veteran nominees stand for photos with first-timers.
Craig Renaud, nominated for best documentary short for Armed Only With a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud, got to chat with DiCaprio, up for best actor for One Battle After Another, at the tables before the group photo.
Nearby, Mohammaddreza Eyni, co-director with Sara Khaki of documentary feature nominee Cutting Through Rocks, talked about his film with Ethan Hawke, nominated for best actor for Blue Moon.
The roll call where every nominee in attendance is summoned to the stage, is the centrepiece of the gathering.
This year's roll call, read by actor and Academy Board of Governors member Lou Diamond Phillips, began with Delroy Lindo, up for best supporting actor for Sinners, and ended with Teyana Taylor, up for best supporting actress for its biggest competitor, One Battle After Another.
The luncheon was a return to tradition after last year's was called off because it fell amid Southern California's destructive wildfires. A cocktail reception with the class picture just a few days before the ceremony replaced it.
