Oprah Winfrey at the 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards (Credit: Paul Drinkwater / NBC Universal)
The 75th Annual Golden Globes launched the 2018 Awards Season with a bang with powerful statements for social change and a whole lot of girl power. Here’s a recap of the most memorable Golden Globe moments that honored the best in film and television in 2017.
Tarana Burke & Michelle Williams at the 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards (Credit: Steve Granitz)
On the Golden Globes red carpet, the question shifted from “Who are you wearing?” to “Why are you wearing black?” as celebrities and activists arrived in black dresses and black suits in a fashion statement of solidarity for #TimesUp. The movement is intended to show support for those who have experienced sexual harassment, abuse, and discrimination in all industries and to demand safety and equality in all workplaces. By turning the color of mourning into a color of awakening, the #WhyIWearBlack conversation is a step forward in ensuring that the time is now for social change.
A fearless critic of the Trump administration, Golden Globes host Seth Meyers could not resist from making a few clever references to international affairs, journalistic freedom, and stable geniuses in his opening monologue, but Meyers kept his talk on the commander-in-chief to a minimum and instead focused on the issue of sexual harassment in Hollywood.
To the room of ladies (and remaining gentlemen), Meyers acknowledged the changing times in Hollywood now that marijuana is finally allowed and sexual harassment finally isn’t. Calling out the powerful men of Hollywood and their terrible behavior, he made jokes at the expense of the few elephants not in the room by mocking the notion of women being called “crazy and difficult to work with” in acts of victim shaming and blame shifting and poking fun at the potential of more recasted roles due to vacancies left by actors who have been fired after being accused of sexual misconduct.
In addition to the commentary of Meyers, the night was filled with many zingers referring to the lack of female representation within the awards categories. When introducing the Best Director nominees, presenter Natalie Portman prefaced the nominees role call with “and here are the all males nominees,” calling attention to the fact that there were no female honorees among this year’s recognized directors. Barbra Streisand, the only woman to win Best Director (in 1984) at the Golden Globes, expressed her bafflement that she is still the only female to win the award. Streisand also gave props to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for voting for a female president in Meher Tatna.
Nicole Kidman at the 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards (Credit: Paul Drinkwater / NBC Universal)
The women-driven series Big Little Lies, The Handmaid’s Tale, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel were the top winners in the television categories. The television adaptation of Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies won big with Best Limited Series, Best Actress Nicole Kidman, Best Supporting Actress Laura Dern, and Best Supporting Actor Alexander Skarsgard. Doubling as executive producers, Kidman and Reese Witherspoon spoke about the importance of seeing, hearing, and telling the stories of women, the silenced, the abused, and the bullied and praised the friendship, creative union, support, and allegiance of their team in their speeches.
The television adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale earned praise for Best Television Series, Drama and for Best Actress Elisabeth Moss. The lead actress and producer acknowledged Atwood for bringing this story to creation. Referencing a quote from the author’s novel, Moss responded that now that tables have turned in that women no longer live in the gaps between the stories, but that they are the stories in print and are writing the stories themselves. Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel gained lots of buzz with their wins for Best Television Series, Comedy and for Best Actress Rachel Brosnahan. In her acceptance speech, the series lead added to the message that women’s stories need and deserve to be told, and that those in entertainment need to be held accountable for investing in, making, and championing those stories.
Also receiving awards for television were first-time Globes winners Ewan McGregor for Best Actor in a Limited Series for Fargo, Best Actor in a Television Series, Comedy for Master of None’s Aziz Ansari for Master of None, and Best Actor in a Television Series, Drama for Sterling K Brown for This is Us. Brown humbly acknowledged that his role, written for a black man, was important in allowing the actor to feel seen and appreciated for who he is and in helping to make it difficult for the industry to dismiss anyone who looks like him.
Saoirse Ronan at the 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards (Credit: Paul Drinkwater / NBC Universal)
The top winners in film were Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and Lady Bird. Martin McDonagh’s dark comedic drama Three Billboards… grabbed the most awards for a nominated film for Best Motion Picture, Drama, Best Screenplay, Best Actress, Drama for Frances McDormand and Best Supporting Actor for Sam Rockwell. Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut Lady Bird won Best Motion Picture, Comedy and Best Actress, Comedy for Saoirse Ronan‘s performance as the titular leading lady.
Also scoring Golden Globe accolades in motion pictures were The Shape of Water, which won Best Director for Guillermo del Toro and Best Original Score for film composer Alexandre Desplat. Never walking away empty-handed, Pixar and Disney picked up an award for Best Animated Film for Coco. The anthemic “This is Me” from the original movie-musical The Greatest Showman was named Best Original Song, much to the delight of songwriting duo Justin Paul and Benj Pasek.
Rounding out the winners’ circle in motion picture acting were Best Supporting Actress Allison Janney for I, Tonya, Best Actor Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour, and James Franco for Best Actor in Motion Picture, Comedy for The Disaster Artist, who brought The Room‘s Tommy Wiseau on stage to share in the dream-fulfilling moment.
That said, the unofficial award for THE moment of the 75th Golden Globe Awards was unanimously taken by the show-stopping Oprah Winfrey with her moving and motivating Cecil B. DeMille Award acceptance speech. The beloved and celebrated entertainment powerhouse imparted a message of hope and change to the captivated audiences in the ballroom and in homes around the world. As the first black woman to win the Cecil B. DeMille Award, Oprah recounted the pivotal moment of watching Sidney Poitier win the Academy Awards, the first black man to do so, in 1964. She recognized the women before her, like Recy Taylor and Rosa Parks, who were instrumental in paving the way for equality. Aware of the powerful opportunity her platform brings today, Oprah offered her love and support for the brave women who have endured hardships and gave thanks to the women who have and are speaking up, for speaking one’s truth is the most powerful tool we all have. As she wrapped up her uplifting, encouraging, and inspiring speech, Oprah took the room to church and proclaimed that a new day is on the horizon for those taking back their voice from the abusers of power and working towards a future where no one has to say #MeToo.
“For too long, women have not been heard or believed if they dared to speak their truth to the power of those men. But their time is up.” – Oprah Winfrey
[ETA, Jan. 9] Honorable Mention: One more thing to add: Kelly Clarkson! From her fangirl moment over seeing and meeting Meryl Streep on the red carpet to singing the announcement of Best Original Song with Keith Urban (in perfect harmony) on the stage, she was the delight of this year’s Golden Globes. Off screen, she and Steve Carell also finally met (Ahh, Kelly Clarkson and Steve Carell!)
What were your favorite Golden Globes moments? Let us know in the comments!
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