75th Golden Globes: Me Too the real winner as Hollywood unites against harassment
The 75th annual Golden Globes, one of Hollywood's biggest nights, took place on 7 January, and, for a change, it wasn't just about celebrating Hollywood's finest, but acknowledging the very real problems that the entertainment industry is plagued with. The first major awards night after the Harvey Weinstein scandal and the #MeToo movement, Hollywood made good use of the night, with most stars sporting 'Time's Up' badges, and delivering rousing speeches intended to spark change in the industry.
The first to address these issues was emcee Seth Meyers, with the host of the Late Night show skewering Weinstein in a series of stinging barbs. In fact, Meyers opened the show by welcoming “Ladies and remaining gentleman”, a tongue-in-cheek acknowledgment of the epidemic of sexual harassment in Hollywood.
While many female stars, too, spoke out against sexism and harassment in the industry, it was Oprah Winfrey, on stage to accept the Cecil B Demille Lifetime Achievement Award, who delivered the speech of the night. Winfrey recounted the story of Recy Taylor, a black woman who was abducted and gang-raped by six white men who were never brought to justice, using her story as a call for more inclusivity and justice in Hollywood and the wider world.
On the awards front, Big Little Lies won big, taking home four awards for Best Limited TV Series or TV Movie, Best Actress in a TV Series, Best TV Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. Nicole Kidman's role as Celeste Wright in the series won her the Best Actress Award.
Elsewhere, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, also managed four awards for Best Motion Picture (drama), Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor and Best Actress (drama), with Frances McDormand speaking about the Me Too movement while accepting her Best Actress (Drama) Award.
The night was also a big win for inclusivity, with Sterling K Brown becoming the first black man to win the Best Actor in a TV Drama Award for This is Us, while Aziz Ansari won Best Actor in a TV Comedy for his series, Master of None, becoming the first Asian-origin actor to do so.
