Victoria Beckham exploring the archives at the V&A museum. Natalie Portman slipping her heels off to dip her toes in the sea at Cannes. Noomi Rapace checking her messages while hiding in a restaurant kitchen.

These are the pre and post red carpet moments we never get to see.

But British photographer Greg Williams is lifting the veil on the private lives of Hollywood royalty through his candid yet cinematic Instagram account.

Under the hashtag #artofbehindthescenes and Instagram handle @gregwilliamsphotography, Williams has offered a rare glimpse into the lives of A-listers from Johnny Depp and Jake Gyllenhaal to Tilda Swinton and Cate Blanchett that goes beyond the glitz and glamour they're typically surrounded by.

Tom Hardy is captured quietly eating a late breakfast in his hotel suite and Elizabeth Banks is snapped sipping on a cup of coffee before she makes her way onto the Venice Film Festival red carpet.

“My favourite part,” he tells My Modern Met, “was using my 20 years of experience and relationships, along with a bit of nerve and a good dose of luck, to be the only guy in the boat (at Venice Film Festival last week).”

Even if Williams' pictures focus on the quick and candid, they have a distinct dramatic quality and are works of art in their own right. “From my early days as a photojournalist, I was always obsessed with the Magnum on-set photos from 1960s Life Magazine. I am trying to capture moments that are reminiscent of the golden age of cinema.”

No doubt, we clicked “follow” right away. We pick our favourite posts below.

Elizabeth Banks unwinds with a coffee cup and mobile in hand before a premiere

Elisa Sednaoui before she heads out as the official host at Venice Film Festival

Stanley Tucciand and Mark Ruffalo ham it up on the Grand Canal

Jake Gyllenhaal, Jason Clarke and Josh Brolin on their way at Venice Film Festival

...and digs into a tub of Spaghetti

Amber Heard fixes her hair while waiting for Johnny Depp

Keira Knightley on the set of Atonement

Eva Green on Lake Como after a day shooting Casino Royale

Victoria Beckham holds a pose on a boat

Cate Blanchett soaks in the sun in Antibes before a Giorgio Armani press day

Erin O'Connor nibbles on room service at the Carlton Hotel during Cannes Film Festival

Natalie Portman takes a moment at the end of her press day in Cannes

Noomi Rapace checks her phone in a restaurant kitchen, away from the crowds at Cannes

Naomi Watts leaving the Hotel Du Cap for a press event in Cannes

Tom Hardy eats a late breakfast in his suite at the Hotel Du Cap, Cannes

...and snuggles up to a dog on a photo shoot

Tilda Swinton on a plane heading home after a screening at Venice Film Festival

Natalia Vodianova at a party in Cannes

Kate Hudson at the Serpentine Summer Party in London

Victoria Beckham explores the Victoria & Albert Museum archives

Brad Pitt on the set of Snatch

Meet the man himself (far right)