Co-host and “Killing Eve” star Sandra Oh set the 2019 Golden Globe Awards off last night (January 6) by honoring the momentum that brought artist of color-led projects like “Black Panther,” “Crazy Rich Asians,” “If Beale Street Could Talk” and “Pose” to the first awards show of the season. “Next year could be different, it probably will be, but right now, this moment is real,” the first Asian woman to host a major U.S. awards show said during her opening remarks alongside co-host Andy Samberg (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”).
‘I wanted to be here, to look out into this audience and witness this moment of change.’ — Sandra Oh on why she decided to co-host the #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/VgtLdEvKrz
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) January 7, 2019
Here are the stand-out moments from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s ceremony:
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” co-director Peter Ramsey talked about the importance of Miles Morales, Marvel’s first Afro-Latinx Spider-Man, during his speech for the box office hit’s Best Motion Picture-Animated award.
“Anybody can be behind the mask. We’re counting on you! You can do it!” –#SpiderVerse director @pramsey342 #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/umclnxrpaH
— MTV NEWS (@MTVNEWS) January 7, 2019
cutting off #IntoTheSpiderVerse director Peter Ramsey when he’s talking about diversity onscreen in his acceptance speech?! thankfully @villarrealy asked him to finish his speech backstage. #goldenglobes pic.twitter.com/YKuQFsbpfs
— Ashley Lee (@cashleelee) January 7, 2019
“If Beale Street Could Talk” star Regina King concluded her Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture speech by pledging gender-equitable hiring on her future screen projects.
Regina King makes a vow to ensure that everything she produces will be at least 50% female, and challenges others to do the same #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/qpiDLb4zdI
— MTV NEWS (@MTVNEWS) January 7, 2019
Oh broke from her co-hosting duties and paid tribute to her Korean parents in their native language while accepting Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series-Drama for “Killing Eve.” She set another Golden Globes benchmark as the first Asian woman to earn this award.
Sandra Oh’s parents were in the house to see her win a #GoldenGlobe for KILLING EVE. pic.twitter.com/uBvTiczZTY
— Vulture (@vulture) January 7, 2019
Mahershala Ali won the Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture statue for his portrayal of Jamaican-American pianist Dr. Donald Shirley in “Green Book.” The film also won Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy and Best Screenplay-Motion Picture despite the Shirley family’s critiques about its veracity, which Ali addressed in comments to Shadow and Act and previously apologized to the famiy for:
I respect Dr. Shirley and his family and wish them well. I have a job to do and I have to continue to do my job as I move on to my next project and treat everyone I work with, with respect. In this case, I didn’t know that they were around. And I’ve made contact and spoken to the studio and everyone and I have to move on at this point, but I do wish them well.
— Dr. Scott B. Stubblefield, JD (@DrStubblefield) January 7, 2019
Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón’s “Roma,” which largely focuses on a domestic worker portrayed by Indigenous Mexican actress Yalitza Aparicio, won for Best Motion Picture-Foreign Language. Cuarón also won Best Director-Motion Picture for the black-and-white historical drama. The movie received support from the National Domestic Workers Alliance for its depiction of the protagonist.
“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story” star Darren Criss recognized his Filipina mother while accepting his Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television award.
Darren Criss dedicates his #GoldenGlobes award to his mother pic.twitter.com/5jU5MBcZj2
— MTV NEWS (@MTVNEWS) January 7, 2019
Egyptian-American actor Rami Malek’s depiction of Queen’s frontman Freddie Mercury in “Bohemian Rhapsody” earned him Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture-Drama. The film closed the night by winning the award for Best Motion Picture-Drama.
What. A. Win. See more from The #GoldenGlobes at NBC’s YouTube channel: https://t.co/tTsTjvVZ1Q pic.twitter.com/umhlhRx2z3
— NBC Entertainment (@nbc) January 7, 2019
But the Golden Globes also faced criticism for the honors it did not award last night. Several artist of color-led projects like “Pose,” “Black Panther,” “Crazy Rich Asians” and “BlacKkKlansman” scored no wins.
black panther, blackkklansman, if beale street could talk, crazy rich asians, pose… you all deserved so much better
— gabby boseman ? BLACK PANTHER HAS 50 AWARD WINS (@simbanggabby) January 7, 2019
Nah mate! Black Panther not taking away a Golden Globe?! Not even one?
— ✫ ? ? ? ✫ (@amy_revelle) January 7, 2019
Not happy. Not happy. #GoldenGlobes2019
Alas. Pose was robbed.
— roxane gay (@rgay) January 7, 2019
Several commentators also echoed previous critiques about the cinematic winners, “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Green Book,” failing to accurately represent the communites at the center of their stories.
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY and GREEN BOOK are definitely the best movies of the year unless you ask the communities those movies were supposed to represent.
— Louis Virtel (@louisvirtel) January 7, 2019
Good morning to Green Book and Bohemian Rhapsody, two movies that let Hollywood feel like it’s voting for progressive ideas, but which are actually insidious repudiations of everything the last year’s reckoning has attempted to address!!
— Kathryn VanArendonk (@kvanaren) January 7, 2019
POC stories are being told, but are still under a ceiling of we can’t win best picture unless we straightwash/sanitise ourselves to fit the straight cis white gaze aka Bohemian Rhapsody was insulting to the LGBT community
— Rohan Zhou-Lee (@FirebirdPsalm) January 7, 2019
See the full list of winners and nominees at GoldenGlobes.com.