The 2018 Golden Globes saw attendees wearing black in support of #TimesUp. This year’s red carpet was decidedly more colorful, but winners’ calls for equality kept last year’s protest alive. It was Sandra Oh’s night. She made history three times at the event. The actress was the first person of Asian descent to host the ceremony and she became the first woman of Asian descent to win multiple Golden Globes as well as the first woman of Asian descent in 39 years to win a Globe for best actress in a TV drama. Oh, who previously won a Globe for her role as Dr. Cristina Yang in “Grey’s Anatomy,” took home the trophy for BBC America spy thriller “Killing Eve.”
During the ceremony’s opening monologue, Oh took the hosting opportunity to reflect on how far Hollywood has come — and how far it has to go — on the road to equality. “I said yes to the fear of being on this stage tonight because I wanted to be here to look out into this audience and witness this moment of change,” she said, referring to nominees this year, who are more inclusive than the past. “I’m not fooling myself. Next year could be different. It probably will be, but right now, this moment is real.” She continued, “Trust me: this is real, because I see you. And I see you. All of these faces of change. And now so will everyone else.” When she took the stage to accept her honor for “Killing Eve,” Oh thanked her parents in both English and Korean.
Oh and co-host Andy Samberg joked about whitewashing and the lack of opportunities for women directors during their monologue, and the importance of stories about people of color and women remained — and of stories told by people of color and women — remained a a consistent thread of conversation throughout the evening.
In her acceptance speech for best actress in a television series – musical or comedy, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” star Rachel Brosnahan described the set of the Amazon stand-up comedy as a “matriarchy” led by series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, and emphasized the number of women who work on the period series.
Taking the stage to accept the honor for best performance by an actress in a supporting role in a motion picture, “If Beale Street Could Talk’s” Regina King spoke about the importance of using her platform and made a major commitment. “So often, everyone out there, they hear us on the red carpet and they say celebrities, we’re using the time to talk about ourselves when we’re on our soapbox and using a moment to talk about the systemic things that are going on in life,” she observed, before giving #TimesUp a shout-out.
King explained, “The reason why we do this is because we understand that our microphones are big and we’re speaking for everyone. And I just want to say that I’m going to use my platform right now to say in the next two years, everything that I produce, I am making a vow, and it’s going to be tough, to make sure that everything that I produce, that it’s 50 percent women.” And she doesn’t want to be alone in applying this mandate. “I just challenge anyone out there who is in a position of power — not just in our industry, in all industries — I challenge you to challenge yourselves and stand with us in solidarity and do the same,” she urged.
“A Star Is Born” actress and songwriter Lady Gaga called out another industry in her acceptance speech for best original song – motion picture for “Shallow.” “As a woman in music, it is really hard to be taken seriously as a musician and a songwriter,” Gaga said. She acknowledged her male co-writers — Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando, and Andrew Wyatt — for lifting her up and supporting her.
Glenn Close’s performance in “The Wife” earned her the award for best actress in a motion picture – drama and she used her time at the podium to discuss how difficult it was to make the film. She hinted that sexism stalled its development, explaining that it took 14 years to bring the story to the screen, and she suspects that its title is why it took so long to get made. Close revealed that her performance in the film about a woman who’s dedicated her life to supporting her husband’s literary ambitions was inspired by her own mother, who “sublimated herself to [Close’s] father her whole life.”
“In her 80s she said to me, ‘I feel like I haven’t accomplished anything,'” Close said of her mother. “And it was so not right. And I feel like what I’ve learned from this whole experience is, women, we’re nurturers, that’s what’s expected of us. We have our children, we have our husbands if we’re lucky enough, and our partners. But we have to find personal fulfillment,” she emphasized, to thunderous applause. “We have to follow our dreams. We have to say, ‘I can do that, and I should be allowed to do that.'”
Zero women directors were nominated for awards at the Globes. It remains to be seen whether female filmmakers will fare better at the Oscars. Women and Hollywood and Women in Film LA have joined forces on a social media campaign reminding voters and the public to consider women directors. Oscar noms will be announced January 14.
