The most surprising thing about the red carpet

NEW YORK -- Awards season is underway, and that means miles of smiles along an endless sea of red carpets that last though Oscar night.

"How I deal with it, I cry in the shower every night," Eighth Grade star Elsie Fisher said. "Pretty much. No, but I don't know. Everyone has been so kind, and I'm working on a project that I love so much."

"I thought there was just the Oscars, and that's it," director Bo Burnham chimed in. "There's a lot of things."

The National Board of Review Awards welcomed both fresh faces and seasoned pros.

"Everyone looks so graceful on the carpet and when they're doing speeches and receiving awards," Fisher said. "No one tells you, it's like, oh, you are going to be exhausted."

It's not only new, but also unexpected for Leave No Trace star Thomasin McKenzie.

"I honestly didn't expect all of this to come about," she said. "It's all very unexpected, but I'm really welcoming it and having a really amazing time."

Barry Jenkins followed up his Oscar-winning film Moonlight with If Beale Street Could Talk, and for him, red carpets are about finding unique opportunities.

"I got to the red carpet, and (First Reformed writer) Paul Schrader was behind me," he said. "And so, when am I going to get to hug Paul Schrader? And so I got to hug Paul Schrader. And that way, you can find these pockets of enjoyment."

Green Book star Linda Cardellini just enjoys getting reacquainted with old friends.

"For me, it's spending time with everybody," she said. "You know, after you make a film, everybody moves on to other things. When you get to do this with everybody, it's like you're constantly going to parties together. So that makes it really fun."

RBG directors Betsy West and Julie Cohen were taking in the thrills.

"It was such an honor for (Supreme Court) Justice (Ruth Bader) Ginsburg to allow us to tell her story," West said. "And now, to get an award like the NBR is really thrilling."

"You think of documentaries as being such super serious intellectual pieces of work, and it's really great to have made one that really connected with audiences and has given us the opportunity to be in a room with Lady Gaga," Cohen added.

And Lady Gaga, an awards season darling for her role in A Star is Born, was happy to be home.

"I'm happy as a clam tonight," she said. "We're celebrating in New York. I get to be with my friends. We're all celebrating art. It's beautiful."

RELATED: Everything to know about Oscars 2019

Don't miss the Oscars LIVE on Sunday, Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. ET | 5 p.m. PT on ABC.