Award recipients gave heartfelt and powerful speeches drawing attention to issues ranging from representation to climate change.
The 77th annual Golden Globes awards aired on Sunday, Jan. 5 with Ricky Gervais hosting the show for the fifth time. This year he hypocritically told celebrities to not use their speeches as a platform to bring politics into the show. His speech helped to bring about the first meme of 2020, Tom Hanks being the physical embodiment of “yikes.”
Netflix had the greatest number of nominations across film and television, receiving 34 in total. “Marriage Story” received a total of six of those nominations and “The Irishman” received five nominations. Unfortunately for Netflix, “The Irishman” did not receive a single Golden Globe and “Marriage Story,” which was awarded for Laura Dern for Best Supporting Actress.
Other highly nominated films include “Joker,” “1917,” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” “The Two Popes,” “Jojo Rabbit” and “Parasite.”
The awards started off with Best Actor in a Comedy TV Series. Ramy Youssef (“Ramy”) took home the Golden Globe, beating out the likes of Ben Platt (“The Politician”), Paul Rudd (“Living With Yourself”), Tulsa’s own Bill Hader (“Barry”), and Michael Douglas (“The Kominsky Method.”) During his speech, Youssef joked that he knew that no one in the audience has seen his show, “Ramy,” which tells the story of an Arab Muslim family who live in New Jersey. It can be streamed on Hulu.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a TV Series – Comedy for her role in “Fleabag,” which also took home the award for Best Television Series Comedy. During her acceptance speech, creator and star Phoebe Waller-Bridge thanked former President Barack Obama for putting Fleabag on his list of favorite television shows for 2019. She continued with, “As some of you may know, he’s always been on mine,” referencing a particular scene from the first season of Fleabag.
The award for Best Foreign Language Film went to “Parasite.” Also nominated were “The Farewell,” “Les Miserables,” “Pain and Glory,” and “Portrait of a Lady on Fire.” During his speech, director Bong Joon-ho said, “Once you overcome the one inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.” “Parasite” was also nominated for Best Screenplay, but lost to “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” “Parasite” receiving this nomination was significant because foreign films usually do not receive nominations for this category.
Perhaps one of the biggest upsets of the award show was the winner for Best Animated Feature. “Missing Link” took home the Golden Globe, beating “Frozen II,” “The Lion King,” “Toy Story 4,” and “How to Train your Dragon: The Hidden World.” “Missing Link” is a stop-motion animation film producer by Laika, who are responsible for films like “Kubo and the Two Strings” and “Coraline.” “Toy Story 4” was considered to have the Golden Globe in the bag due to its rating as Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
Elton John and Bernie Taupin received the Golden Globe for Best Original Song. Both Elton John and Taron Egerton, who played John in the film “Rocketman,” recorded “I’m Gonna Love Me Again.” During his acceptance speech, Elton John said that this was a special moment for him because this is the first time in fifty-two years that he has ever won an award with Bernie Taupin. In fifty-two years, the pair has made thirty albums together and yet, had never received an award together. What makes this award all the more special is that the song they received it for is based on their friendship.
“Rocketman” also won in the category of Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical, which Taron Egerton took home. During his acceptance speech, he thanked Elton John for all that he has done for him. He said, “To Elton John, thank you for the music. Thank you for living a life less ordinary, and thank you for being my friend.”
Olivia Colman took home the Golden Globe for her performance in “The Crown.” Last year, her portrayal of Queen Anne won her a Golden Globe for Best Actress. This year, for her performance as Queen Elizabeth II, she received another Golden Globe award. This makes the second year in a row she has won Golden Globes for her portrayal of different monarchs.
Hildur Guðnadóttir made history as being the first woman to solely win the award for Best Original Score. She composed the haunting score for “Joker.” Also nominated were the scores from “Motherless Brooklyn,” “Little Women,” “1917,” and “Marriage Story.”
Awkwafina also made history at the Golden Globes when she became the first Asian-American to win the award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for her performance in “The Farewell.” Her fellow nominees included Ana de Armas (“Knives Out”), Beanie Feldstein (“Booksmart”), Emma Thompson (“Late Night”), and Cate Blanchett (“Where’d You Go Bernadette”). During her speech, she beautifully tributed her mother who passed away when she was only four years old.
The Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama went to Joaquin Phoenix for his performance in “Joker.” During his speech, he urged the audience that they must try and do something to combat climate change. He said, “We don’t have to take private jets to Palm Springs for the weekend.” He also made a promise that he would try to do better himself; a promise he kept, as just days later he was arrested with Jane Fonda at a climate protest.
Ellen Degeneres also breached the topic of climate change when calling attention to the fires raging through Australia after being awarded the Carol Burnett Award. Before receiving this award, Kate McKinnon heartfully thanked her for helping to pave the way for other LGBTQ+ individuals. In Degeneres’ acceptance speech, she also said, “All I’ve ever wanted to do is make people feel good and laugh.”
Tom Hanks was the recipient of the Cecil B. Demille lifetime achievement award.
He teared up multiple times during his emotional speech where he gave the advice that one can always learn something from who they work with. He attributed his greatness to the advice he has received from his numerous co-stars.
The 77th Golden Globes kicked off the 2020 award season. The next big event during award season is the 92nd Oscars; it will be held on Feb. 9. Despite some surprises and upsets, this year’s Golden Globes were awarded to a diverse group of nominees.
