Golden Globes: Spotlight on diversity, inclusion
March 1, 2021
The 78th Golden Globes awards took place on Sunday — although this year, the red carpet and flashing lights of photographers were replaced with a bi-coastal virtual event hosted from both New York City and the ceremony’s usual location in Beverly Hills, California.
The evening's big movie winner was the film Nomadland, which took home best motion picture drama while its director, Chloe Zhao, was awarded best director, making her the first woman since 1984 and the first woman of Asian descent to ever win the prestigious award. The unique road trip story, starring Francis McDormand in the lead role, tells the tale of a woman who decides to live her life out of a van, meeting others who have chosen to do the same along the way.
Although McDormand was up for best actress, the winner for best actress in a motion picture drama was Andra Day for her role in the biographical film The United States vs. Billie Holiday.
The best actor in a movie drama award was given posthumously to Chadwick Bosemanfor his role in the Netflix movie Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Boseman passed away in August 2020 at the age of 43 after a battle with cancer. The award was accepted by his widow, who brought many to tears while saying she could never be as eloquent as her late husband.
Blasted for lack of diversity
Aside from Zoom fails and kids and pets entering the picture, there were some major issues with this year's ceremony. Shortly before airing, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) suffered a major blow, most notably by the revelation that there are no Black members on the 87-person body that determines the awards.
The evening's hosts, comedians Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, addressed the topic early in the evening, saying, "Even with stupid things, inclusivity is important." The duo mentioned that "a number of Black-led projects were overlooked." For example, there were no best picture nominations for season frontrunners, including Judas and the Black Messiah, Da 5 Bloods, One Night in Miami, and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.
Throughout the evening, actors and actresses made calls for diversity throughout the event, most powerfully Jane Fonda, who made it the theme of her acceptance speech for the honorary Cecil B. DeMille award. "There's a story we've been afraid to see and hear about ourselves,'' she said, "a story about which voices we respect and elevate and which we tune out: A story about who's offered a seat at the table and who's kept out of the rooms where decisions are made."
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association made an on-stage apology for its lack of diversity — but did not mention how the organization would make changes.
A royal winner
On the TV front, the big winner was The Crown, the historical fiction series about the British royal family, which took home the Golden Globe for best TV drama.
Golden Globes also went to the actors playing major characters from season four: Emma Corrin as Princess Diana and Josh O'Connor as Prince Charles. It was the first Golden Globe win for both.
Another Netflix series, The Queen’' Gambit, which tells of the trials and tribulations of a chess prodigy, won in the best limited TV series category. Anya Taylor-Joy, who plays the series' protagonist, won best actress in the category.
With such wins under its belt, one could say that streaming service Netflix was the champion of the evening, with shows and movies it hosted garnering 42 nominations, leading to 10 wins.
Yet on Sunday night, there was one big TV category winner that is not under the streaming service's dominion: Schitt's Creek won best TV comedy, with actress Catherine O'Hara seeing victory as best actress in the category, as well.
Better luck next time, Zengel
Award-winning 12-year-old German actress Helena Zengel,nominated for her role in the Netflix film News of the World, where she played alongside Tom Hanks, went home empty-handed.
Veteran actress Jodie Foster took home the award for best supporting actress for her role in the political thriller The Mauritanian, kissing her wife on-screen when she heard the news. The Golden Globes have a particular significance for Foster, who came out of the closet eight years ago at the event.
Other highlights of the evening included wins in the best motion picture - musical or comedy category for comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, who was deemed best actor for his role in Borat Subsequent Movie film. The movie also won best film in the same category.
The 78th awards ceremony, which took place two months later than originally scheduled due to the coronavirus pandemic, was the first-ever virtual Golden Globes event. Naturally, the evening was not without Zoom fails, which began early in the evening: The first winner, Daniel Kaluuya for Judas and the Black Messiah, was initially on mute when he accepted his award.