Parties

Scarlett Johansson and Ben Platt Were Honored at the 17th Annual Golden Heart Awards

As the call to dinner rang, guests gathered at their tables with a full brass orchestra setting the tone for the evening. Festivities started with a performance by the sensational star of Broadway s latest revival of Some Like It Hot and Tony Award-winning actor J. Harrison Ghee. Following opening remarks by Michael Kors, Cynthia Erivo presented Ben Platt with the Golden Heart Award for Excellence in the Arts. Just as it seemed Rupert Friend would present Scarlett Johansson with the Golden Heart Award for Philanthropy Activism, Matt Damon emerged from the crowd to shower Johansson in accolades. The night concluded with famed composer David Foster delighting guests by announcing a surprise performance by Mary J. Blige.

"I met Scarlet when she was a teenager, and she s a quintessential native New Yorker—she loves this city and cares greatly about the world, yet she does it so quietly. She s also been a huge supporter of God s Love for years," Michael Kors told Vogue, retelling his personal connection to the evening s honoraries and why they felt like the perfect award recipients. “I met Ben when he was first in Dear Evan Hansen, where I, as a Broadway geek, sat in the theater just bawling (after witnessing his performance). Everything that you see Ben bring to the stage, he also brings real thought, care, and compassion for the world in his everyday life to use his platform to inspire change.”