Golden Globes triumphs for Big Little Lies, Three Billboards Outside Ebbings, Missouri
With a red carpet dyed black by actresses dressed in a colour-co-ordinated statement, the Golden Globes were transformed into an A-list expression of female empowerment in the post-Harvey Weinstein era.
“For too long women have not been heard or believed if they dared to speak their truth to the power of those men,” declared Oprah Winfrey, accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement.
“But their time is up. Their time is up!”
Hollywood’s awards season is seen as wide open, but the early returns Sunday were good for one of the leading nominees: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. The fierce revenge tale won for best film drama, Frances McDormand won best dramatic actress for her role as a raging mother seeking answers, Sam Rockwell won for best supporting actor and writer-director Martin McDonagh won for best screenplay.
More than any award handed out Sunday at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., Winfrey’s moment — one greeted by a rousing, long-lasting standing ovation, one that left many attendees in tears — encapsulated the mood at an unusually powerful Golden Globes. The night served as Hollywood’s fullest response yet to the sexual harassment scandals that have roiled the film industry and laid bare its gender inequalities.
“A new day is on the horizon!” promised Winfrey, who noted she was the first black woman to be given the honour.
With a cutting stare, presenter Natalie Portman followed Winfrey’s speech by introducing, as she said, “the all-male” nominees for best director.
Host Seth Meyers opened the night by diving straight into material about the sex scandals. “Good evening ladies and remaining gentlemen,” he began. In punchlines on Weinstein — “the elephant not in the room” — Kevin Spacey and Hollywood’s deeper gender biases, Meyers scored laughs throughout the ballroom, and maybe a sense of release.
“For the male nominees in the room tonight, this is the first time in three months it won’t be terrifying to hear your name read out loud,” said Meyers.
The first award of the night, perhaps fittingly, went to one of Hollywood’s most powerful women: Nicole Kidman, for her performance in HBO’s The Big Little Lies, directed by Canadian Jean-Marc Vallée and a series she and Reese Witherspoon produced. She chalked the win up to “the power of women.”
Big Little Lies, which came in the leading TV nominee, won three acting awards, including supporting actress for Laura Dern. Like seven other female stars, Dern walked the red carpet with a women’s rights activist as part of an effort to keep the Globes spotlight trained on sexual harassment. Dern was joined by farmworker advocate Monica Ramirez, Michelle Williams with Me Too founder Tarana Burke, and Meryl Streep with domestic worker advocate Ai-jen Poo.
“May we teach all of our children that speaking out without fear of retribution is our new North Star,” said Dern, accepting her Globe.
Other winners continued the theme. Amazon’s recently debuted The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, about a 1950s housewife who takes up stand-up comedy, won best TV series comedy, and best actress for Rachel Brosnahan. Elisabeth Moss, accepting an award for her performance in Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale, movingly dedicated her award to Margaret Atwood, whose book the show is based on, and the women who came before her and after her. The Handmaid’s Tale later added the award for best TV series, drama.
“‘We were the people who were not in the papers. We lived in the blank white spaces at the edge of print. It gave us more freedom. We lived in the gaps between the stories.’ Margaret Atwood, this is for you and all of the women who came before you and after you, who were brave enough to speak out against intolerance and injustice and to fight for equality and freedom in this world,” Moss said in her speech, referencing Atwood’s prose.
“We no longer live in the blank white spaces at the edge of print. We no longer live in the gaps between the stories. We are the story in print and we are writing the story ourselves. Thank you.”
Also successful was Guillermo del Toro’s Cold War-era fantasy The Shape of Water, which won for its score and del Toro’s directing. The emotional Mexican-born filmmaker wiped back tears and managed to quiet the music that urged him off.
Best actor in a comedy or musical went to James Franco for his performance as the infamous The Room filmmaker Tommy Wiseau. Franco dragged his co-star and brother, Dave, to the stage and called up Wiseau. When the Wiseau, wearing his trademark sunglasses, got to the stage, he moved for the microphone before Franco turned him back. “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” said Franco as the audience chuckled.
The Globes had long been the stomping grounds of disgraced mogul Harvey Weinstein, whose downfall precipitated allegations against James Toback, Kevin Spacey and many others. Weinstein presided over two decades of Globes winners and was well-known for his manipulation of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the 89-member group that puts on the Globes.
Though it bills itself as Hollywood’s biggest party, the Golden Globes stroke a slightly more formal, Oscar-like tone, complete with moments of appreciation for movie legends. Kirk Douglas, 101, appearing with his daughter-in-law, Catherine Zeta-Jones, received a warm standing ovation.
Best foreign language film went to Germany’s In the Fade. Allison Janney took best supporting actress in a comedy for the Tonya Harding tale I, Tonya. Aziz Ansari took best actor in a comedy series for his Netflix show Master of None.
Best animated film went to the Pixar release Coco. Pixar co-founder John Lasseter is taking a “six-month sabbatical” after acknowledging “missteps” in his workplace behaviour. Backstage Sunday, Coco director Lee Unkrich was asked about changes at Pixar. “We can all be better,” he said. “We have been taking steps and continue to move forward to create art.”
Sunday night’s black-clad demonstration was promoted by the recently formed Time’s Up, an initiative of hundreds of women in the entertainment industry — including Streep, Williams, Dern and Winfrey — who have banded together to advocate for gender parity in executive ranks and legal defence aid for sexual harassment victims.
Ashley Judd, the first big name to go on record with her Weinstein experience, and Salma Hayek, who last month penned an op-ed about her nightmare with Weinstein, arrived together.
“We feel sort of emboldened in this particular moment to stand together in a thick black line,” Streep said.
“It’s not a fashion statement. It’s a solidarity statement,” said The Crown actress Claire Foy.
Just about everyone, woman and man, celebrity and red-carpet reporters, was dressed in black Sunday, many of them wearing a Time’s Up pin. This Is Us star Chris Sullivan even sported black fingernails. Later, his co-star Sterling K. Brown won for best drama actor. Brown thanked This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman.
“You wrote a role for a black man that can only be played by a black man,” said Brown. “I’m being seen for who I am.”
Though the atmosphere was still buoyant and positive, the usually superficial red carpet had unusual exchanges. While being interviewed live on E!, Debra Messing called out the network for allegedly not paying its female hosts the same as its male hosts. E!’s Catt Sadler recently departed after she said she learned she was making about half the pay of her male counterpart, Jason Kennedy.
The exchange was just another illustration of how the #MeToo reckoning that has plowed through Hollywood has upended awards season.
Winners of the 75th annual Golden Globes
FILM
Musical or comedy film: Lady Bird.
Drama film: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
Actress, musical or comedy: Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird.
Actor, musical or comedy: James Franco, The Disaster Artist.
Actress, drama: Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
Actor, drama: Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour.
Supporting actor: Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
Supporting actress: Allison Janney, I, Tonya.
Director: Guillermo Del Toro, The Shape of Water.
Original score: Alexandre Desplat, The Shape of Water.
Original song: This is Me (from The Greatest Showman).
Animated film: Coco.
Screenplay: Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
Foreign-language film: In the Fade (Germany/France).
TELEVISION
Series, drama: The Handmaid’s Tale.
Series, musical or comedy: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
Limited series or TV film: Big Little Lies
Actor, drama: Sterling K. Brown, This is Us.
Actress, drama: Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale.
Actress, musical or comedy: Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
Actor, musical or comedy: Aziz Ansari, Master of None.
Actress, limited series or TV movie: Nicole Kidman, Big Little Lies.
Actor, limited series or TV movie: Ewan McGregor, Fargo.
Supporting actor: Alexander Skarsgard, Big Little Lies.
Supporting actress: Laura Dern, Big Little Lies.