Limited Showing for Brits at this Year's Golden Globes
As I sat down Sunday night to watch the 75th Golden Globes ceremony, I expected to see plenty of black on the red carpet and hear statements of solidarity with the Time’s Up movement against sexual harassment. It was defiant and joyous and culminated in a stirring speech by Oprah Winfrey.
However if I'm honest, my main purpose for tuning in was to see how many Brits would snag those gleaming orbs that signify excellence in the television and film industries. By my count, there were six actresses and eight actors from the UK and Ireland competing in eight different performance categories. (To review all the categories and nominees, click here.) Eight chances to demonstrate the superiority of British thespians!
Alas, only three were victorious. Let's take a look at the winners and the roles that earned them this particular accolade.
Ewan McGregor – Best Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie
With two previous nominations for his feature film work, Ewan McGregor finally earned his first Golden Globe for a television role. You might say the Hollywood Foreign Press got more bang for their buck when they chose McGregor who played feuding brothers Emmit and Ray Stussy in season three of Fargo.
(It appears that the voters favor of British actors in this particular series since, as you may recall, Martin Freeman also received a Golden Globe nomination for his starring turn in the first season of Fargo.)
The other actors vying for the statue in this category were Robert De Niro for The Wizard of Lies, Jude Law in The Young Pope, Kyle MacLachlan for Twin Peaks, and Geoffrey Rush who played Einstein in Genius.
Here is a clip of Ewan’s acceptance speech. I give him credit for acknowledging the support his estranged wife gave him for more than twenty years, but the fact that he thanked his co-star and alleged new girlfriend as well raised some eyebrows.
Saoirse Ronan – Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
At only 24 years of age, this talented Irish actress has been nominated for two Oscars, three Golden Globes and four BAFTAs. If you want to learn more about Saoirse Ronan's impressive career thus far, check out our Actresses You Should Know profile on her here.
As Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson, Ronan poignantly portrayed the joys and sorrows of a strong-willed high school girl who wants to break free of her boring life in Sacramento and her strained relationship with her mother.
Ronan had tough competition indeed including two Dames, Judi Dench for Victoria & Abdul and Helen Mirren for The Leisure Seeker; Margot Robbie who transformed into the controversial Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding in I, Tonya; and last year’s winner in this category, Emma Stone, who appeared this time around in Battle of the Sexes.
Ronan was exuberant as she thanked her family, friends and the people who worked with her on Lady Bird.
Gary Oldman – Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
In describing Gary Oldman’s long and diverse career, the term "chameleon" is often employed. No role deserves that moniker more than the one he took on in the Darkest Hour. I challenge you to watch the trailer below and identify the man on the screen as anyone other than Winston Churchill.
Oldman's co-nominees were Timothée Chalamet from Call Me by Your Name, Daniel Day-Lewis in what he claims is his final film, Phantom Thread, Tom Hanks in The Post, and Denzel Washington in the title role of Roman J. Israel Esq.
Oldman gave a gracious and witty acceptance speech apologizing to his co-star Kristin Scott-Thomas for all the smelly cigars and ending with a thank you to his wife who had to put up with going to bed with Winston but waking up with him.
Did you watch the Golden Globes this year? Let’s talk about the results and who you might have hoped to see ascend the stage to make their acceptance speeches instead!
