Photos: Quotes from the Golden Globes

“I think for me fashion is just like acting. It’s ways of telling stories. Maybe that’s why my parts in my movies are so different. I like the feeling of being a storyteller. So maybe that’s why it’s been the different colors.” Chastain has worn multiple colors to awards events this season, including the all-white Givenchy gown at the Golden Globes.  (Frederic J. Brown AFP / Getty Images / Jan. 15, 2011)

“It’s so surreal... I’m just trying to be in the moment.” McCarthy’s first-name is one of the most-shouted names from the fan bleachers, demonstrating her extreme popularity this award season.  (Matt Sayles / Associated Press / Jan. 15, 2012)

One thing the “Glee” star won’t be doing this year? Approaching any celebrities he’s fans of inside the ballroom. “I’ve learned the hard way I shouldn’t do that. I get crazy. I went up to Helena Bonham Carter and screamed in her face.”   (Frederic J. Brown / AFP / Getty Images / Jan. 15, 2012)

The actress is frequently mistaken for her close friend, Laura Dern. “I’ve gotten moving violations as her and I got introduced on Johnny Carson as her. It was definitely humbling but he fixed it before it went to air.”   (Jason Merritt / Getty Images / Jan. 15, 2012)

Mara’s “Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” costar, Daniel Craig skipped the red carpet. “The guys get all the luck,” she said. “I think I’ll just see him inside.”   (Matt Sayles / Associated Press / Jan. 15, 2012)

“When I wrote the part, I didn’t think of the dimension that Janet [McTeer] brought to the part -- that street bloke, happy in her body, and so loving. It takes an actress like that to really plumb those depths.”  (Frederic J. Brown / AFP / Getty Images / Jan. 15, 2012)

“It’s unsentimental, honest and human. I don’t generally get a script like that,” said Christopher Plummer of the film “Beginners,” for which he would later win the supporting actor award.   (Matt Sayles / Associated Press)

The actress said at the Golden Globes that she would someday like to a play a man. “I don’t know what kind of man, and I don’t know if that would happen or not, but I would be very interested in that because I think that would be the ultimate challenge,” she revealed.   (AFP / Getty Images)

Sitting with his wife, Calista Flockhart, near the Golden Globes stage, Harrison Ford was all smiles on Sunday night. “Award shows are easy. It’s always about someone else,” said the box-office titan, who has never won an Oscar or Golden Globe in a competitive category.

But what does he think of the red carpet? “Smile and move purposely,” Ford said. “Smile and move purposely.”   (Matt Sayles / Associated Press)

The composer, who last year won for his work on “The Social Network,” was caught inside the Golden Globes and had a quick observation on the difference between his 2011 and 2012 experience. “I’ve discovered something interesting: It’s more fun when you win something.”   (Jason Merritt / Getty Images)

“It is a genre that appeals to a lot of people,” said Jessica Lange of her FX horror series, “American Horror Story.”

“It has never been one that I’ve been particularly drawn to,” she continued, “but I think there is something in the psyche of people that likes that sense of being frightened.”   (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Michelle Williams, who was named best actress, comedy or musical, for her work in “My Week With Marilyn,” said she hopes host Ricky Gervais sticks around.

“I’ve just been laughing,” she said. “I haven’t heard him make fun of me yet. Maybe my laughter will turn to tears, if he does.”   (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Brad Pitt arrived with Angelina Jolie and, more unexpectedly, a cane, but he wasn’t feeling the pain from having to sit through another award show. “Naw, it’s still fun” the star said as he propped himself up beside his seat during a commercial break.

“You work all year, you’re in this tunnel, and this is a chance to see all your buddies and have a drink and see what happens.”

And the cane? “I tweaked it pretty bad,” he said nodding toward his right leg. “I was on a hill and carrying my daughter and just lost the footing. It was either her or me. She’s fine.”   (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

The famed director is supporting two of his films at the Golden Globes, “The Adventures of Tintin” and War Horse,” but backstage he surprisingly noted that he tries to back out of nearly every project.

“I’m seized with some kind of passion,” he said, “then I’ve committed to it, and a month later, I try to get out of it. ... But you feel you can’t live without making it. So even when I change my mind, I know that first initial intuition -- I have to stick with it.”   (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Octavia Spencer, who won the award for best supporting actress for her work in civil rights-themed film “The Help,” brought some seriousness to the Golden Globes.

“While the characters are fictitious, the narrative itself is a part of our fabric, and it’s important that we keep the younger generation abreast of where we’ve come from because it’s so foreign to them,” she said of the film backstage.  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Morgan Freeman, winner of this year’s Golden Globes Cecil B. Demille award, is well-aware of how influential films and the film industry can be on its audiences. “One of the more effective avenues for learning American history is movies. I was always a big reader when I was a kid, but movies -- they’re so impactive,” Freeman told reporters backstage at the Golden Globes.   (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

The “Modern Family” actor, who arrived with his wife, Catherine Rusof, was asked how the cast of “Modern Family” would do in a fight -- yes, a fistfight -- with some of its competitors. O’Neill looked over at the “Glee” cast and said, “I think we’d do OK. I’m not as tough as I used to be though. I don’t have much interest in fights.”  (Jason Merritt / Getty Images)

Elton John, nominated for his song “Hello Hello” in “Gnomeo and Juliet,” didn’t believe he would win. In fact. he was actively rooting for another artist. “I can’t believe Mary J. Blige didn’t win for ‘The Help.’ I’m dumbfounded by that.”

Madonna‘s “Masterpiece” from her “W.E.” won best original song.   (Matt Sayles / Associated Press)

Claire Danes, who won for best actress in a TV drama for her role as an unstable CIA agent in Showtime’s “Homeland,” said, “It’s very unusual that I get to take a character like this on. She’s so layered, so dynamic. As an actor, I certainly got a workout this season. They asked me to do more than I’ve ever been asked to do. As an American, when I started learning about the CIA and the people within that world, I was really struck by their patriotism. It’s something I’ve taken for granted.”   (AFP / Getty Images)

Meryl Streep was so surprised that she won the Golden Globe for best actress for her role in “The Iron Lady” that she left her glasses at her table. Realizing the blunder on stage, she let out a curse word. “I can’t believe I said ... on TV, I never do anything like that!”   (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)