Michelle Williams’ speech, Awkwafina’s win and more from women at the 77th Golden Globe Awards
Here’s a look at the women who made a splash at the Golden Globes on January 5.
Awkwafina became the first Asian American woman to win a Golden Globe Award for best actress. She won the award for best actress in a musical or comedy for her role in The Farewell at the 77th Golden Globe Awards held on January 5. This was her first nomination and first win.
In the movie, the actress and comedian plays the role of a Chinese-American immigrant struggling with her cultural identity and protecting her grandmother from the grim reality that she only has a short time to live.
Michelle Williams, Awkwafina and Patricia Arquette at the 77th Golden Globe Awards held in Los Angeles.
Speaking in the press room after the award ceremony, Awkwafina said, “But I want there to be more. I hope this is just the beginning.”
Awkwafina’s win was the only win for the film. In her acceptance speech, she thanked the film’s director Lulu Wang. “You gave me this chance, the chance of a lifetime, and you taught me so much. And just filming this story, being with you, was incredible,” she said.
Women directors including Lulu Wang were left out in the nominations for best directors, a rather grim start for women directors this awards season.
Michelle Williams won not just the Golden Globe for best actress in a limited series or TV movie for her role in the drama series Fosse/Verdon, but also the audience with her impassioned speech. In her speech, she championed the cause of women’s rights and choice alluding to the erosion of reproductive rights. She made the speech without using the divisive word ‘’abortion’.
Her comments come less than a week after more than 200 members of Congress submitted a brief to the Supreme Court calling Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v Casey, landmark decisions on abortion, to be“reconsidered and, if appropriate, overruled.”
She remarked that "I wouldn't have been able to do this without employing a woman's right to choose," adding, "to choose when to have my children, and with whom." She added, "I am grateful to live in a moment in our society where choice exists, because as girls and women, things can happen to our bodies that are not our choice.”
The 39-year-old has a daughter with late Heath Ledger and is now expecting a child with her fiance, director Thomas Kail.
Fellow actors and people took to social media to heap praise on the actress who tackled the issue of gender pay inequality in her acceptance speech.
Hildur Guðnadóttir, the Icelandic composer won the Golden Globe for Best Original Score for the film ‘Joker’. She became the first woman solo composer to win the award in this category.
"I don't really know exactly what happened at this point for everything to explode so massively, but it's been a beautiful year and incredible to get both of these opportunities at the same time," Huldir told reporters after her win.
"Because of all the awareness that has been raised in the last couple of years about the position of women in the industry, I have also definitely benefited a lot from that," she said. "I think people are just a bit more open towards trusting women today."
Huldir has been working in film music for the last two decades. Her composition for the HBO miniseries Chernobyl won her a Primetime Emmy for music and a Grammy nomination.
Patricia Arquette who won the award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in the miniseries The Act also used the platform to talk of the threat of war, the courage of migrants, the calamity in Australia, and the importance of voting in 2020.
Other winners at the Golden Globes included Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who accepted two awards for Fleabag, Olivia Colman won ‘Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Drama Series’, and Ellen Degeneres received the lifetime achievement award.
(Edited by Rekha Balakrishnan)
