Golden Globes turn to old favs and new faces
Nods confront current harassment scandals
NEW YORK — Guillermo del Toro’s Cold War-era fairytale “The Shape of Water” swam away with a leading seven Golden Globes nominations on Monday, and the HBO drama “Big Little Lies” came away with six nods. But nobody made landing a Globe nomination look easier than Christopher Plummer.
Just two weeks after shooting his scenes in Ridley Scott’s “All the Money in the World,” Plummer was nominated for best supporting actor — a nod that was once considered a possibility for the actor he replaced, Kevin Spacey. An unfinished version of the film was screened last week for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which puts on the Globes.
“They pulled off a miraculous feat over the last month and I’m delighted to have been a part of this unique experience,” Plummer said in a statement.
The nomination for Plummer — which was joined by nods for Scott’s directing and Michelle Williams as best actress — was just the latest, and most last-minute, twist in an awards season that has been rocked by the industry’s continuing sexual harassment scandals. Even Monday’s nominations, announced from Beverly Hills, Calif., were, as is customary, carried live on the “Today” show, which recently fired Matt Lauer after allegations of sexual misconduct.
As the most prominent platform yet in Hollywood’s awards season to confront the post-Harvey Weinstein landscape, the Globes seemed eager to turn the page, not just in its love for “All the Money in the World,” but also by shunning previous favorites like “House of Cards” and “Transparent.” The latter remains in limbo following sexual harassment allegations against star Jeffrey Tambor, charges that he has denied.
Instead, the Globes lavished nominations on some tried-and-true favorites — Meryl Streep scored her 31st Globe nod — and some new faces, like the 21-year-old breakthrough of “Call Me By Your Name,” Timothee Chalamet.
In what’s has been a wide open Oscar race so far, several films followed closely behind “The Shape of Water,” including Steven Spielberg’s Pentagon Papers drama “The Post,” with six nominations, including best actress for Streep and best actor for Tom Hanks. Martin McDonagh’s revenge drama, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” also got a major boost in the nominations, with six nods, including best actress for Frances McDormand and supporting actor for Sam Rockwell.
Along with “The Shape of Water,” “Three Billboards” and “The Post,” the nominees for best drama were the tender young romance “Call Me By Your Name” (which also landed a nod for Armie Hammer) and Christopher Nolan’s World War II epic “Dunkirk.”
But setting itself apart from the pack was the monster fable “The Shape of Water,” which stars Sally Hawkins as a mute cleaning woman who falls in love with a captive amphibious creature. No film was more widely celebrated by the press association, including nods for del Toro’s directing and Alexandre Desplat’s sumptuous score.
“We are really in need of believing in something other than the headlines and the skepticism and the cynicism that we’re getting so used to reading in every arena, politically in terms of fearing the other, not being able to believe in love or hope,” said del Toro. “It’s beautiful to be able to do it, to believe in it by disarming that skepticism with the words ‘Once upon a time.’ ”
The best picture comedy or musical category was led by a handful of Oscar favorites — Greta Gerwig’s mother-daughter tale “Lady Bird,” Jordan Peele’s horror sensation “Get Out” — as well as several wildcards: James Franco’s comedy “The Disaster Artist” about the making of “The Room”; the upcoming musical “The Greatest Showman”; and the Tonya Harding comic-drama “I, Tonya.” The stars of all five, including Margot Robbie (“I, Tonya”) and Franco, also landed acting nominations.
Nominees
For a full list of Golden Globe nominations, go to ABQJournal.com