By Jana Monji, AsAmNews Arts & Culture Writer
This year’s Golden Globes was a discrete affair, tucked away in a posh hotel, with no streaming or network broadcast, but if featured a few firsts, including the first South Korean TV series to be nominated (Squid Game) and a win from one of its actors.
This 79th ceremony was at the Beverly Hilton on 9 January 2022 as usual, but that was all that went on as normal. There was no red carpet, no stars and no blessing from much of Hollywood as The Hollywood Foreign Press Association struggled to re-define itself after the Los Angeles Times exposé that revealed it had no members of Subsaharan African descent.
That scandal was coupled with the uproar over Minari being placed in the Foreign Language Film category (by its producers and not the HFPA) and the lack of attention received by a film Queen & Slim during 2019 and last year’s nomination of Emily in Paris over I May Destroy You-although these TV series were in different categories. Yet the wins did not display a discrimination against Black people who were actually over-represented at the awards in 2021 with wins for Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) and Andra Way (The United States vs. Billie Holiday) for Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Drama, Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messia“) for Best Supporting Performance in a Motion Picture and John Battiest with Trent Teznor and Atticus Ross (Soul) for Best Original Score as well as John Boyega (“Small Axe”) for Best Supporting Performance in a Series,
Last year, people of Asian descent did well, including a win for Minari in Best Foreign Language Film and the director of Nomadland Chloé Zhao for Best Director and Best Motion Picture Drama (Zhao produced, edited, adapted and directed).
This year, in 25 categories were two wins for people of Asian descent: one for a Japanese film in the Foreign Language category for Drive My Car and for O Yeong-su (오영수) for Best Supporting Actor, Television. For AAPI, one could include Australian Nicole Kidman and New Zealander Jane Campion but I did not in my calculations. O Yeong-Su is the first person of East Asian descent and the first South Korean to win in Best Supporting Actor, Television category. Sandra Oh won Best Supporting Actress (TV) for Grey’s Anatomy in 2005.
Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi (濱口 竜介) had already won the Silver Berlin Bear Jury Grand Prize for his film at the Berlin Film Festival and the Best Screenplay and Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the Cannes Film Festival where the film premiered in July. The film is inspired by Haruki Murakami’s short stories from his 2014 collection, Men Without Women and Hamaguchi co-wrote the script with Takamasa Oe.
The 77-year-old O Yeong-su (吳永洙) played the elderly Oh Il-nam in the Netflix survival drama. O Yeong-su had previously been seen in writer/director Kim Ki-Duk’s award-winning 2003 film Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…Spring (봄 여름 가을 겨울 그리고 봄) in which he played an old monk. Roger Ebert included the film on his Great Movies list.
With Drive My Car, East Asian language films have won that category three times in a row (Parasite in 2019 and Minari in 2020). Before that, the last East Asian language to win was the Taiwanese film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2000. Before 2019, the last Asian film to win was A Separation (Iran) in 2011. The last Indian film to win was in 1982 (Gandhi). Drive My Car is the first win for a Japanese film although it is not the first for a film in the Japanese language. Clint Eastwood’s Letters from Iwo Jima won in 2006. Akira Kurosawa was nominated four times (Dream in 1990, Red Beard in 1965, Shadow Warrior in 1980 and Ran in 1985). Hayao Miyazaki was nominated for The Wind Rises in 2013.
Japan had previously won this category when it was Best Foreign Language Foreign Film for Twenty-Four Eyes (Keisuke Kinoshita, 1954), Kodomo no Me (Yoshirō Kawazu, 1956), Behold Thy Son (Heinosuke Gosho, 1957) and Odd Obsession (Kon Ichikawa, 1959).
People who are Black or of Subsaharan descent are still over-represented with four wins or 16 percent. This includes Will Smith for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama (King Richard); Michaela Jaé Rodriguez for Best performance by an Actress in a TV Series, Drama (Pose); The Underground Railroad for Best Limited Series, Anthology Series, or a Motion Picture Made for TV; and Ariana DeBose for Best Supporting Actress, Motion Picture (West Side Story).
The five wins for Latinos for 20 percent is better than the representation last year and still well under representation within Los Angeles County, but that total also includes two people who are considered Black: Michaela Jaé Rodriguez (Pose) and Ariana DeBose. I included West Side Story, Rachel Zegler (West Side Story) and Encanto which takes place in Colombia for Latino representation.
There were zero MENA and Native Americans winners. There were two winners of Jewish descent (Andrew Garfield, Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy for Tick, Tick…Boom!) if one includes the people behind West Side Story. `
LGBTQ were represented by Michaela Jaé Rodriguez (Pose) who won for Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series, Drama and the story of repression in Campion’s The Power of the Dog which won for Best Motion Picture, Drama.
For women, out of the 11 categories that are not gender specific, women had six wins out of 11. Women over 50 were represented by Nicole Kidman and Jean Smart.
The full winners list is below:
Best Motion Picture, Drama
“Belfast” (Focus Features)
“CODA” (Apple)
“Dune” (Warner Bros.)
“King Richard” (Warner Bros.)
“The Power of the Dog” (Netflix) (WINNER)
Best Picture, Musical or Comedy
“Cyrano” (MGM)
“Don’t Look Up” (Netflix)
“Licorice Pizza” (MGM)
“Tick, Tick … Boom!” (Netflix)
“West Side Story” (20th Century Studios / Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures) (WINNER)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
Mahershala Ali (“Swan Song”)
Javier Bardem (“Being the Ricardos”)
Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Power of the Dog”)
Will Smith (“King Richard”) (WINNER)
Denzel Washington (“The Tragedy of Macbeth”)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama
Jessica Chastain (“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”)
Olivia Colman (“The Lost Daughter”)
Nicole Kidman (“Being the Ricardos”) (WINNER)
Lady Gaga (“House of Gucci”)
Kristen Stewart (“Spencer”)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Leonardo DiCaprio (“Don’t Look Up”)
Peter Dinklage (“Cyrano”)
Andrew Garfield (“Tick, Tick … Boom!”) (WINNER)
Cooper Hoffman (“Licorice Pizza”)
Anthony Ramos (“In the Heights”)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Marion Cotillard (“Annette”)
Alana Haim (“Licorice Pizza”)
Jennifer Lawrence (“Don’t Look Up”)
Emma Stone (“Cruella”)
Rachel Zegler (“West Side Story”) (WINNER)
Best Director, Motion Picture
Kenneth Branagh (“Belfast”)
Jane Campion (“The Power of the Dog”) (WINNER)
Maggie Gyllenhaal (“The Lost Daughter”)
Steven Spielberg (“West Side Story”)
Denis Villeneuve (“Dune”)
Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
Ben Affleck (“The Tender Bar”)
Jamie Dornan (“Belfast”)
Ciarán Hinds (“Belfast”)
Troy Kotsur (“CODA”)
Kodi Smit-McPhee (“The Power of the Dog”) (WINNER)
Best Supporting Actress, Motion Picture
Caitríona Balfe (“Belfast”)
Ariana DeBose (“West Side Story”) (WINNER)
Kirsten Dunst (“The Power of the Dog”)
Aunjanue Ellis (“King Richard”)
Ruth Negga (“Passing”)
Best Television Series, Drama
“Lupin” (Netflix)
“The Morning Show” (Apple TV Plus)
“Pose” (FX)
“Squid Game” (Netflix)
“Succession” (HBO) (WINNER)
Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy
“The Great” (Hulu)
“Hacks” (HBO Max) (WINNER)
“Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu)
“Reservation Dogs” (FX on Hulu)
“Ted Lasso” (Apple TV Plus)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Drama
Brian Cox (“Succession”)
Lee Jung-jae (“Squid Game”)
Billy Porter (“Pose”)
Jeremy Strong (“Succession”) (WINNER)
Omar Sy (“Lupin)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Drama
Uzo Aduba (“In Treatment”)
Jennifer Aniston (“The Morning Show”)
Christine Baranski (“The Good Fight)
Elisabeth Moss (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
Michaela Jaé Rodriguez (“Pose”) (WINNER)
Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy
Anthony Anderson (“Black-ish”)
Nicholas Hoult (“The Great”)
Steve Martin (“Only Murders in the Building”)
Martin Short (“Only Murders in the Building”)
Jason Sudeikis (“Ted Lasso”) (WINNER)
Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy
Hannah Einbinder (“Hacks”)
Elle Fanning (“The Great”)
Issa Rae (“Insecure”)
Tracee Ellis Ross (“Black-ish”)
Jean Smart (“Hacks”) (WINNER)
Best Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture made for Television
“Dopesick” (Hulu)
“Impeachment: American Crime Story” (FX)
“Maid” (Netflix)
“Mare of Easttown” (HBO)
“The Underground Railroad” (Amazon Prime Video) (WINNER)
Best Performance by an Actor, Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture made for Television
Paul Bettany (“WandaVision”)
Oscar Isaac (“Scenes From a Marriage”)
Michael Keaton (“Dopesick”) (WINNER)
Ewan McGregor (“Halston”)
Tahar Rahim (“The Serpent”)
Best Performance by an Actress, Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture made for Television
Jessica Chastain (“Scenes From a Marriage”)
Cynthia Erivo (“Genius: Aretha”)
Elizabeth Olsen (“WandaVision“)
Margaret Qualley (“Maid”)
Kate Winslet (“Mare of Easttown”) (WINNER)
Best Supporting Actor, Television
Billy Crudup (“The Morning Show”)
Kieran Culkin (“Succession”)
Mark Duplass (“The Morning Show”)
Brett Goldstein (“Ted Lasso”)
O Yeong-su (“Squid Game”) (WINNER)
Best Supporting Actress, Television
Jennifer Coolidge (“White Lotus”)
Kaitlyn Dever (“Dopesick”)
Andie MacDowell (“Maid”)
Sarah Snook (“Succession”) (WINNER)
Hannah Waddingham (“Ted Lasso”)
Best Original Score, Motion Picture
“The French Dispatch” (Searchlight Pictures) — Alexandre Desplat
“Encanto” (Walt Disney Pictures) — Germaine Franco
“The Power of the Dog” (Netflix) — Jonny Greenwood
“Parallel Mothers” (Sony Pictures Classic) — Alberto Iglesias
“Dune” (Warner Bros.) — Hans Zimmer (WINNER)
Best Picture, Foreign Language
“Compartment No. 6” (Sony Pictures Classics) — Finland, Russia, Germany
“Drive My Car” (Janus Films) — Japan (WINNER)
“The Hand of God” (Netflix) — Italy
“A Hero” (Amazon Studios) — France, Iran
“Parallel Mothers” (Sony Pictures Classics) — Spain
Best Screenplay, Motion Picture
Paul Thomas Anderson — “Licorice Pizza” (MGM/United Artists Releasing)
Kenneth Branagh — “Belfast” (Focus Features) (WINNER)
Jane Campion — “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix)
Adam McKay — “Don’t Look Up” (Netflix)
Aaron Sorkin — “Being the Ricardos” (Amazon Studios)
Best Original Song, Motion Picture
“Be Alive” from “King Richard” (Warner Bros.) — Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Dixson
“Dos Oruguitas” from “Encanto” (Walt Disney Pictures) — Lin-Manuel Miranda
“Down to Joy” from “Belfast” (Focus Features) — Van Morrison
“Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)” from “Respect” (MGM/United Artists Releasing) — Jamie Hartman, Jennifer Hudson, Carole King
“No Time to Die” from “No Time to Die” (MGM/United Artists Releasing) — Billie Eilish, Finneas O’Connell (WINNER)
Best Motion Picture, Animated
“Encanto” (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures) (WINNER)
“Flee” (Neon)
“Luca” (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
“My Sunny Maad” (Totem Films)
“Raya and the Last Dragon” (Walt Disney Studios)
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