The 79th Golden Globe Awards celebrated the best of film and television during an unusual time for both the industry and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Following last year’s well-publicized accusations of corruption and a lack of diversity among its membership, NBC cut the HFPA’s annual fete from its programming; in lieu of a televised ceremony, winners were announced virtually.
On the film side, Netflix’s “The Power of the Dog” won for best drama film and best supporting actor for Kodi Smit-McPhee. Its director, Jane Campion, earned the first Globe of her career. Kenneth Branagh’s Focus Features film “Belfast” took home the film screenplay award. Steven Spielberg’s remake of “West Side Story,” from 20th Century Studios and Disney, triumphed in the musical or comedy film category, notching additional wins for leading and supporting actresses Rachel Zegler and Ariana DeBose, respectively.
Ariana DeBose Is an Anita for a New EraThe other film acting awards went to performers portraying real-life figures, including Nicole Kidman as Lucille Ball in Amazon’s “Being the Ricardos”; Will Smith as Richard Williams in Warner Bros.’ “King Richard”; and Andrew Garfield as Jonathan Larson in Netflix’s “Tick, Tick...Boom!”
Despite their muted presence, the Golden Globe results still served as a starting point for this year’s awards season. All of the winners are contenders for the upcoming Screen Actors Guild Awards, which announces nominations Jan. 12; the Academy Awards, which announces nods Feb. 8; and likely the Emmys, which will come out later this year.
The Globes’ TV categories honored a mix of returning and new scripted programming; HBO drama “Succession” and HBO Max comedy “Hacks” earned the top series prizes. Repeating their 2021 Emmy wins, Jason Sudeikis of Apple TV+’s “Ted Lasso” and Jean Smart of “Hacks” took home the comedy acting prizes, and Kate Winslet nabbed the limited series statuette for HBO’s “Mare of Easttown.” For drama, Jeremy Strong of “Succession” and Michaela Jaé Rodriguez of FX’s “Pose” triumphed; the latter made history as the first transgender performer to win a Golden Globe.
For a full list of winners and more on the Globes, click here. Stay tuned to Backstage for more awards season coverage as it develops!