The day after an awards show, say the Golden Globes, is usually all about fashion (who wore what, and often, why) and the winners (who won what, and often, why). Not so this year. With Hollywood still reeling with the post-Weinstein fallout, the first awards ceremony of the year became a ready-made stage for politics about gender inequality, sexual harassment, and discrimination in the workplace. In a night when Big Little Lies (a show that deals with domestic abuse) and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (a film that tackles sexual assault) won big, the #MeToo movement and its offshoot, the recently unveiled Time’s Up campaign, dominated the evening.
From Seth Meyers’ opening monologue (“There’s a new era underway, and I can tell because it’s been years since a white man was this nervous in Hollywood.”) to Oprah’s speech accepting the Cecil B. DeMille award (“I want all the girls watching here, now, to know that a new day is on the horizon!”) it was clear the evening was all about calling for change. Actresses like Reese Witherspoon, Salma Hayek, Jessica Chastain and Natalie Portman (all wearing black, in solidarity with the cause they were representing) used their time on stage to call out Hollywood sexism and the culture at large that still discriminates against women and minorities in the workplace. And if that makes it sound like the show was a dour affair, here are some highlights from the show to prove otherwise.
Rita Moreno Is A Flawless Queen
Even before the awards telecast began, the West Side Story star gave red carpet viewers an iconic moment they won’t soon forget. Accompanied by the legendary Norman Lear (the producer of the OG One Day At A Time and its Netflix reboot, which returns with Moreno later this month), the EGOT winner traipsed the red carpet in a scooter and loved every minute of it. (Sadly, that wasn’t enough for the New York Times to caption her as anything more than “guest” when they posted a pic of the two legends on its site last night.)
Time’s Up Takes Over The Guest List
The Time’s Up campaign has already pledged more than $14 million dollars in a legal fund to help women (and men) in all professions fight against discrimination. And the Globes became the first public event where the project took center stage. In addition to beckoning actresses to wear black (“because every woman deserves a voice”), many of the leaders of the campaign brought activists to the Globes and made sure to praise their work in what otherwise tend to be platitude-laden fashion interviews. Laura Dern, who won later in the night for her work on Big Little Lies, arrived with Mónica Ramírez, co-founder and President of Alianza Nacional de Campesinas.
Eva Longoria Calls Out E! ...While Live on E!
Making sure that the whole “I Wear Black” wasn’t just a stunt or a back-patting gesture, actresses like Eva Longoria (like Debra Messing, Sarah Jessica Parker and Laura Dern) used their interviews on the red carpet to bring up Time’s Up, and the battle against so many toxic aspects of their industry. But like those fellow actresses, the Desperate Housewives star made sure to call out E! specifically given the recent resignation from E! News co-host Catt Sadler. During contract negotiations, Sadler discovered her male co-host was making close to twice her salary, and promptly resigned, writing in her personal blog, “How can I not echo the actions of my heroes and stand for what is right no matter what the cost? How can I remain silent when my rights under the law have been violated?” “We stand with you Catt,” Longoria said to the camera as she bid goodbye to E!’s own Ryan Seacrest.
The Cast Of 'The Assassination of Gianni Versace' Heats Up The Room
The show was already running late, and thus Darren Criss, Edgar Ramirez, Penelope Cruz, and Ricky Martin didn’t even get a chance to banter while on stage presenting. Nonetheless, they effortlessly became the hottest and most talented group presenting an award of the night. They’re all, of course, the cast of Ryan Murphy’s upcoming The Assassination of Gianni Versace which premieres in just a few weeks—and thankfully, Ricky was kind enough to document the night via his Instagram, offering us this delightful pic of the four of them.
Coco Wins Best Animated Feature
It may have lost the Best Original Song category (to The Greatest Showman‘s “This Is Me”) but the Coco team were ecstatic when they won the big award: Best Animated Feature. In his speech, director Lee Unkrich praised the country that inspired the entire endeavor: “Coco would not exist without the people of Mexico and their beautiful traditions of Día De Muertos,” he said, “Muchisimas gracias.” And while we wish co-director Adrian Molina could have gotten a word in, we won’t deny he looked oh so happy to be up there, celebrating a win for what is such a personal film for the Mexican-American writer-director.
Salma Hayek Leads A "Time's Up" Chant
Tasked with introducing the eventual Best Motion Picture – Drama winner Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri, the Frida actress framed the Frances McDormand film in the context of the night’s activism. The film, she said, “is the story of a mother who seeks justice for her daughter who was raped and murdered. When local cops fail to find the killer she rents three billboards and paints a message calling out the chief of police. I guess that was her way of saying… 1 2 3 TIME’S UP!”
Natalie Portman Has The Quip Of The Night
As one of the most vocal spokespeople for the Time’s Up campaign, it was no surprise to see Superstore actress America Ferrera wearing black to the event. More surprising was her date for the evening: Natalie Portman, who all but stole the night with a quick quip while presenting what she pointed out was the “all-male nominees” for Best Director.
Guillermo del Toro Picks Up A Best Director Globe
The Shape of Water went in with the most nominations of any film this year. Sadly, it only won two of those: Best Score (for French composer Alexandre Desplat) and Best Director. Giddy with excitement and overwhelmed by emotions, he gave an acceptance speech that doubled as a kind of artistic thesis for his entire oeuvre: “Since childhood I’ve been faithful to monsters,” he said, “I have been saved and absolved by them. Because monsters, I believe, are patron saints of our blissful imperfections. And they allow and embody the possibility of failure.” He went on to equate The Shape of Water with the two other monstrous fairy tales that had saved his life before: The Devil’s Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth. Oh, and when the orchestra tried to cut him off? He jokingly asked them to stop, “It’s been 25 years, ok? Give me a minute!”