Golden Globes coverage inside
Oprah Winfrey accepts a lifetime achievement award at Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards.
With a red carpet dyed black by actresses dressed in a color-coordinated statement, the Golden Globes were transformed into an A-list expression of female empowerment in the post-Harvey Weinstein era. Oprah Winfrey led the charge.
“For too long women have not been heard or believed if they dared to speak their truth to the power of those men,” said Winfrey, accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement. “But their time is up. Their time is up!”
More than any award handed out Sunday at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., Winfrey’s moment — one greeted by a rousing, ongoing standing ovation and that left many attendees and viewers in tears — encapsulated the “Me Too” mood at an atypically powerful Golden Globes. The night served as Hollywood’s fullest response yet to the sexual harassment scandals that have roiled the film industry and laid bare its gender inequalities.
“A new day is on the horizon!” promised Winfrey.
With a cutting stare, presenter Natalie Portman followed Winfrey’s speech by introducing, as she said, “the all-male” nominees for best director.
The movie that many think speaks most directly to the moment — the revenge dark comedy “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” about a mother avenging the rape and murder of her daughter — emerged as the night’s top film. It won best picture, drama, best actress for Frances McDormand, best supporting actor for Sam Rockwell and best screenplay for writer-director Martin McDonagh.
Host Seth Meyers opened the night by diving straight into material about the sex scandals. “Good evening ladies and remaining gentlemen,” he began. In punchlines on Weinstein — “the elephant not in the room” — Kevin Spacey and Hollywood’s deeper gender biases, Meyers scored laughs throughout the ballroom, and maybe a sense of release.
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 “Big Little Lies,” a series she and Reese Witherspoon also produced. Kidman chalked the win up to “the power of women.” “Big Little Lies” won a leading four awards, including best limited series and best supporting actress for Laura Dern. Like seven other female stars, Dern walked the red carpet with a women’s rights activist as part of an effort to keep the Globes spotlight trained on sexual harassment. Dern was joined by farmworker advocate Monica Ramirez, Michelle Williams by “Me Too” founder Tarana Burke, and Meryl Streep with domestic worker advocate Ai-jen Poo.
Other winners continued the theme. Amazon’s recently debuted “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” about a 1950s housewife who takes up stand-up comedy, won best TV series comedy, and best actress for Rachel Brosnahan. Elisabeth Moss, accepting an award for her performance in Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” movingly dedicated her award to Margaret Atwood. “The Handmaid’s Tale” later took the award for best TV series, drama.
Greta Gerwig’s mother-daughter tale “Lady Bird” won best picture, comedy or musical, and best actress for Saoirse Ronan. Guillermo del Toro’s Cold Warera fantasy “The Shape of Water” won for its score and del Toro’s directing.
Notably left empty-handed was Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk,” Jordan Peele’s horror sensation “Get Out” and Steven Spielberg’s “The Post.”
Though it bills itself as Hollywood’s biggest party, the Golden Globes struck a slightly more formal, Oscar-like tone.
Best actor in a comedy or musical went to James Franco for his performance as the infamous “The Room” filmmaker Tommy Wiseau. Gary Oldman, considered by some to be the best actor frontrunner, won for his Winston Churchill in “Darkest Hour.” Allison Janney took best supporting actress in a comedy for the Tonya Harding tale “I, Tonya.” Aziz Ansari took best actor in a comedy series for his Netflix show “Master of None.” Best animated film went to the Pixar release “Coco.” Sterling K. Brown won for best drama actor. Brown, the first black man to win in the category, thanked “This Is Us” creator Dan Fogelman.
Sunday night’s black-clad demonstration was promoted by the recently formed Time’s Up, an initiative of hundreds of women in the entertainment industry —including Streep, Williams, Dern and Winfrey — who have banded together to advocate for gender parity in executive ranks and legal defense aid for sexual harassment victims.