Golden Globes 2023: 5 Key Takeaways as Steven Spielberg, 'The Fabelmans' Take Top Honors
By: John Jurgensen and Ashley Wong (WSJ)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
"The Fabelmans" and "The Banshees of Inisherin" took home top movie honors at the 80th Golden Globes Tuesday night, capping the show's return to prime-time television amid efforts to rehabilitate the awards standing in Hollywood.
"The Fabelmans," Mr. Spielberg's semi-autobiographical movie about growing up as a filmmaker, earned him his third career award for best director. In an emotional speech, Mr. Spielberg said it took him his entire life to work up the courage to tell such a personal story.
“I’ve been hiding from this story since I was 17 years old,” he said.
“The Banshees of Inisherin,” a dark comedy about the breakup of two friends living on an Irish island, won three awards during the evening. Director Martin McDonagh, known for stories that embrace grim humor, won best screenplay for the film.
“As some of you may know, I wrote this script for the two stars in my film: Jenny the donkey and Minnie the horse,” Mr. McDonagh joked about two animals featured in “Banshees” as he accepted the award. He went on to thank the human stars he did write for: Colin Farrell, who won a best actor award Tuesday night, and Brendan Gleeson, who was nominated as a supporting actor.
Slow to Confirm Attendance, Celebrities (Almost) All Turned Out.
NBC didn’t air the Globes last year because of a scandal over ethics, finances and diversity in the organization that runs the ceremony, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. The Globes have long been the unofficial start to awards season, but this year’s ceremony was preceded by questions about how it would play out and who would show up.
The ceremony—and the red carpet before it—turned out to be a celebrity-heavy event, with stars such as Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie and Rihanna in attendance. There were newer stars, too, such as Jenna Ortega, nominated for her turn in Netflix hit “Wednesday,” and Austin Butler, who won best actor in a drama film for his starring role in “Elvis.”
Several famous nominees were no-shows for the night, including Zendaya, who won her first Golden Globe for her starring role in the HBO teen drama “Euphoria,” and Cate Blanchett , who won best actress in a drama film for “Tár.” “Yellowstone” star Kevin Costner didn’t pick up his award for best actor in a drama series because he was sheltering in place in Santa Barbara, Calif., due to damaging rains , according to presenter Regina Hall.
First-Time Winners—Including a Major First for Marvel.
The first award of the night went to Ke Huy Quan for best supporting actor in “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” Through tears, Mr. Quan, a former child actor who got his start in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” described his decades-long struggle to return to the front of the camera. Michelle Yeoh, who also starred in “Everything Everywhere,” also won her first Golden Globe for her leading role.
“40 years—not letting go of this,” Ms. Yeoh said, gripping her award onstage. “It’s been an incredible fight to be here today, but I think it’s been worth it.”
Angela Bassett planted a flag when the “ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ” star became the first performer to win a major acting award for a Marvel movie.
Another notable moment: when the Golden Globe for best original song went to “Naatu Naatu,” from the Indian action epic “RRR.” The song, written by Chandrabose and composed by M.M. Keeravani, beat nominees from Western superstars such as Taylor Swift (“Where the Crawdads Sing”), Rihanna (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”) and Lady Gaga (“Top Gun: Maverick”).
Television Honors Went to Fan Favorites.
Among the night’s television winners, “Abbott Elementary,” the Emmy-decorated ABC sitcom, earned three awards, including best comedy series and best actress for the show’s creator, Quinta Brunson.
“Comedy brings us together,” Ms. Brunson said in her acceptance speech for the top comedy award.
“House of the Dragon” won best drama series, a victory that its predecessor “Game of Thrones” never accomplished. “The White Lotus” also took home two awards for its second season, with one for best limited TV series and another for fan-favorite Jennifer Coolidge, who won for best supporting actress in a limited series.
Host Duties Included a Cameo From Abroad.
And the host, comedian Jerrod Carmichael , opened the night by addressing some of the HFPA’s problems head on, including what he said was the reason he was asked to host the awards ceremony in the first place: “I’ll tell you why I’m here,” he said to the crowd. “I’m here because I’m Black.”
To uneasy laughter and uncertain applause, Mr. Carmichael walked the audience through his thought process of agreeing to host, from getting the call to become “the Black face of an embattled white organization,” to accepting the gig for what he said was a $500,000 fee.
The host often tried to quiet the noisy celebrity audience inside the Beverly Hilton Hotel. He hurried along through abbreviated segment transitions and increasingly urgent music signaling winners to cut their speeches short.
Still, the telecast went well past its intended end time of 11 p.m. Eastern—perhaps the greatest indicator these Globes were aiming for business as usual.
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I've just started watching "Yellowstone."
"Kevin Costner was one of the big winners of the night at the 2023 Golden Globes , but he wasn’t there to accept his award.
The 67-year-old actor won the award for Best Actor – TV Drama at the show, which was held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Tuesday night (January 10) in Beverly Hills, Calif."
Was not impressed by the show. I miss the old Hollywood. maybe thats because Im old.
Never heard of the host, who wasnt funny and changed clothes at least a dozen times. Sheer narcissism.
I hate award shows. They are biased and pointless.
Haven’t watched that mutual admiration show in years.
Appears Costner feels the same way.