“Good evening! And welcome to the 82nd Golden Globes: Ozempic’s biggest night,” Nikki Glaser said as she opened at the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, Jan. 5. Glaser, the first-ever solo female host of the show, kicked things off by cracking jokes about topics most relevant to American pop culture. Topics mentioned in her opening speech included memes surrounding the musical and film “Wicked,” the change in our government leadership and plastic surgery.
One of the most awarded productions of the evening was “Emilia Pérez,” a musical thriller that crosses between French, English and Spanish. Zoe Saldaña won Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture for her role in the film. The award for Best Original Song — Motion Picture went to the featured song, “El Mal” and the film won Best Motion Picture — Non-English Language.
Another production that was attributed many awards was the TV Series “Shogun,” set in 1600s Japan. Hiroyuki Sanada won Best Male Actor in a Drama Series and his colleagues, Tadanobu Asano and Anna Sawai won Best Supporting Male Actor in a TV Series and Best Supporting Female Actor in a TV Series — Drama, respectively. Lastly, the show itself won the award for Best TV Series — Drama.
The award for Best TV Series — Musical or Comedy was awarded to “Hacks,” starring Jean Smart for which she won Best Female Actor in a TV Series — Musical or Comedy. Best Screenplay — Motion Picture was awarded to “Conclave,” a thriller/mystery about the selection of a new pope. The movie is based on the 2016 novel, “Conclave,” by Robert Harris. Best Motion Picture — Animated went to “Flow,” the first Latvian film to be featured at the Golden Globes.
Demi Moore was awarded Best Female Actor Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy for her role in “The Substance.” While all the award recipients spent their few moments on stage giving heartfelt thanks to all the special people in their lives, Moore’s acceptance speech was particularly personal. She opened by saying that she has been acting for over 45 years and this Golden Globe was her first ever award as an actor.
“Thirty years ago, I had a producer tell me that I was a popcorn actress […] and I bought in and I believed that,” Moore said. “I thought a few years ago that maybe this was it. Maybe I was complete. Maybe I had done what I was supposed to do.”
Moore has felt “those moments when we don’t think we are smart enough, or pretty enough or basically just not enough.” However, “The Substance” was the “universe” telling her she had more to accomplish.
“Today, I celebrate this as a marker of my wholeness and of the love that is driving me,” Moore said.
Director Jon M. Chu accepted the award to “Wicked” for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement. His acceptance speech followed a similar theme of perseverance, though in a different context.
“We all fell in love with movies at some point. We were all in the dark and we saw something that changed our brains and made us see a perspective that we never thought before,” Chu said. “I think about how beautiful that is. That’s why this is for you, the fans. It shows us how important making this stuff is. At a time when pessimism and cynicism rule the planet right now, that we can still make art is a radical act of optimism.”
Senior Leila Bekaert spoke about the standout moments from the ceremony.
“Along with other film-friends and online cinephile communities, I was surprised that the movie ‘Emilia Pérez’ had the most nominations overall, given its controversial nature and how it came out of seemingly nowhere,” Bekaert. “But the highlights of the Golden Globes were undoubtedly Nikki Glaser’s performance and Demi Moore’s moving speech about the challenges she’s overcome as a woman in the movie industry.”
Throughout the Golden Globes Awards show, there were distinct themes of uncertainty about the current state of the world and what is to come. Along with those sentiments, however, came words of encouragement and hope. Artists asked viewers to remember that as long as they persevere in their art and in doing good, they may succeed in bringing about their vision, whether it be in film or more broadly in creating a better world. As long as there are courageous artists and visionaries, we can persist through difficult times.
