There’s been much buzz about the 2015 Golden Globes and women—and not because this was the last year that Tina Fey and Amy Poehler played hosts. In fact, the awards were particularly notable this year because of the strides made for women in Hollywood, especially, women of color. Here are the moments we thought were noteworthy because of their boundary-breaking, glass-ceiling-cracking effects.
1.
Gina Rodriguez:
“This award. . . represents a culture that wants to see themselves as heroes.”
Many viewers were probably wondering, “Who is “Gina Rodriguez?” Not only did she win the award for Lead Actress—TV Comedy or Musical, she also beat out veterans in the category like Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Rodriguez stars in what will be a not-so-little show-anymore show on the CW network called Jane the Virgin. It’s based on a Venezulan telenovela—so, naturally, the plot is deliciously absurd: a young, religious woman, who is still a virgin, gets pregnant after a mix-up at the doctor’s office, where she’s accidentally artificially inseminated. Yikes! Cue the drama. But what was most amazing about the young Latina actress’s winning wasn’t that it was her first nomination, but rather, what she noted in her speech—”This award. . . represents a culture that wants to see themselves as heroes.”
2.
Joanne Froggatt:
“I hope you feel the world hears you.”
Not everyone thought Fey’s and Poehler’s Bill Cosby rape-allegation jokes were funny. Mostly because anything about rape isn’t funny. So, kudos to Joanne Froggatt, who plays Anna in Downton Abbey, to respond with the correct emotional veracity. Moments after Fey and Poehler’s off-color jokes, Frogatt took the stage to receive her award for Best Supporting Actress—Series, Miniseries, or TV movie. Last season, her character, Anna Bates, was the victim of a brutal rape. Froggatt used her acceptance speech to impart the importance of countering the invisibility of women who are survivors of rape—”I hope you feel the world hears you.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=my07C3tO4Z4
3.
Amy Adams:
“I am so grateful for the women and the roles that speak to my daughter.”
Amy Adams won for Lead Actress in a Motion Picture—Comedy or Musical for her role in Big Eyes. In her acceptance speech, she talked about her four-year old daughter and thanked the women in the room for the vision of womanhood that they present on the screen. Underscoring her personal remarks is the reminder that our young girls and women are always watching us and looking to us as models.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ma5jmZqGLrs
4.
Ava DuVernay:
Making history as the first black woman to receive a Best Director nomination at the Golden Globes
Although she didn’t win the Golden Globe, the director of the film Selma, Ava DuVernay, made history by becoming the first black woman to receive a director nomination. What’s even more impressive is that DuVernay been directing for only five years; Selma’is her third movie. If she’s nominated for an Oscar for best director, she would be the first black woman to receive that honor as well. We’re rooting for her. Below, she talks with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQmGVh6pOs8
5.
The Third and Final Act
And in case you missed it, let’s not underestimate how unprecedented it is/was that these two brilliant women, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, held court for three years at the Golden Globes. Here is their opening monologue for their third and last Awards.
TERRIFIC roundup — thanks so much. I was totally down with the Bill Cosby jokes because I think that he did it, and the more people who come out and say and shout and imply and even joke about the fact that he did it, the better. The man is evil and guilty and the pressure on him should be relentless.