Globes’ blackout
UNITED STATES: With a red carpet dyed black by actresses dressed in a colour-co-ordinated statement against sexual harassment and gender inequality, the Golden Globes confronted the post-Harvey Weinstein era with a ceremony attimes protest rally and party, atonement and celebration.
‘‘Good evening ladies and remaining gentlemen,’’ opened host Seth Meyers at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. Meyers, in his first time hosting the Globes, dove straight into material about the sex scandals that have roiled the industry and the ‘‘elephant not in the room,’’ Harvey Weinstein.
In punchlines on Weinstein, Kevin Spacey and Hollywood’s deeper gender biases, Meyers scored laughs 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, a series she and Reese Witherspoon also produced. She chalked the win up to ‘‘the power of women.’’ ‘‘Let’s keep the conversation alive,’’ Kidman said.
Many female stars arrived with activist guests – Michelle Williams with MeToo founder Tarana Burke, Meryl Streep and domestic workers advocate Ai-jen Poo, Laura Dern and farmworker advocate Monica Ramirez – as part of the larger effort to keep the Globes spotlight trained on the sexual harassment that have roiled Hollywood and other industries.
‘‘We feel sort of emboldened in this particular moment to stand together in a thick black line,’’ Streep said.
The Globes had long been the stomping grounds of disgraced mogul Weinstein. Ashley Judd, the first big name to go on record with her Weinstein experience, and Salma Hayek, who penned an article about her nightmare with Weinstein, arrived together.
The night’s black-clad protest was promoted by the recently formed Time’s Up: an initiative of hundreds of women in the entertainment industry – including Streep, Williams, Dern and the Cecil B DeMille honoree, Oprah Winfrey – who have banded together to advocate for gender parity in executive ranks and legal defence aid for sexual harassment victims. ‘‘It’s not a fashion statement. It’s a solidarity statement,’’ said The Crown actress Claire Foy. -