Recapping the 2021 Golden Globes
The 2021 Golden Globes will definitely be remembered as one of the most unique shows in its history. The first virtual Golden Globes was hosted by Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, and there were plenty of surprises and awkward moments.
Chloé Zhao makes history
Director Chloé Zhao became the second woman and the first Asian female director to win Best Director with her universally acclaimed film “Nomadland,” which also won Best Drama Film. Zhao’s next film will be the highly anticipated “The Eternals” from Marvel Studios.
“The Crown” wins big
“The Crown” became one of the biggest winners of the night, taking home Best Television Series for Drama, Best Actress in Drama for Emma Corrin, Best Actor for Josh O’Connor, and Best Supporting Actress for Gillian Anderson.
Awkward moments
There were quite a few awkward moments this year due to the award ceremony being held virtually. Daniel Kaluuya won Best Supporting Actor for “Judas and the Black Messiah,” but his mic was muted for the first half of its speech, making it one of the worst moments of the show.
The show had other technical issues; Fey and Poehler were on delay at times since they were in different time zones, and many actors didn’t know what or when to talk on Zoom. It became clear that the virtual format just isn’t fitting for an award show of this caliber.
Chadwick Boseman’s emotional win
The late Chadwick Boseman got a touching tribute early in the show. He later won Best Actor in Drama for his outstanding performance in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Boseman’s wife Taylor Simone Ledward accepted the award on his behalf with an emotional speech that brought tears to the audience.
Surprise wins
Andra Day won Best Actress in Drama for “The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” beating out strong contenders like Viola Davis and Frances McDormand despite being a first-time nominee.
The win came as a shock since the film received mixed reviews, while “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “Nomadland” starring Davis and McDormand respectively have been receiving lots of Oscar buzz.
Jodie Foster also beat out strong contenders such as Olivia Coleman (“The Father”) and Amanda Seyfried (“Mank”) and won Best Supporting Actress for “The Mauritanian” despite the film’s mixed reviews and Foster not being nominated in any other big award shows.
Other winners
The biggest winner of last year’s Emmys, “Schitt’s Creek,” won Best Comedy in TV alongside Catherine O’Hara for Best Comedy Actress.
The popular Netflix show starring Anya Taylor Joy, “The Queen’s Gambit,” won Best Limited TV Series, and Joy also won for Best Actress in a Limited Series.
Sacha Baron Cohen won Best Actor in Comedy for “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” and Rosamund Pike won Best Actress in Comedy for her performance in “I Care a Lot.” The new Pixar film “Soul” won Best Animated Picture and Best Original Score.
Aaron Sorkin won Best Screenplay for “The Trial of Chicago 7” as expected, and “Minari” won Best Foreign Language Film.
Jane Fonda brought the house down when she accepted the Cecil B. DeMille Award. Fonda gave an incredible speech about diversity and representation in storytelling while paying tribute to some of the nominees.
She also mentioned “I May Destroy You,” a show created by Michaela Coel that didn’t receive any nominations this year despite its universal acclaim. Fonda’s speech was also extremely relevant due to the recent controversies surrounding the Hollywood Foreign Press Association not having a single black member out of 87.
“Let’s all of us make an effort to expand that tent so that everyone rises and everyone’s story has a chance to be seen and heard,” Fonda said. “Let’s be leaders.”
Jimmy (Chien-Hsing) Lu is a senior majoring in telecommunications. To contact him, email jfl5603@psu.edu
