Bohemian Rhapsody won big at the Golden Globes last night, taking home the final two top prizes to put itself into the Oscars conversation along with Green Book and Roma.
Bohemian Rhapsody – which charts the rise of British rock group Queen – picked up best actor for Rami Malek, who plays legendary frontman Freddie Mercury. It also bagged the biggest movie award of the night – best drama.
“I am beyond moved. My heart is pounding out of my chest right now,” said Malek, whose list of people to thank included the Queen singer, who died in 1991. “Thank you to Freddie Mercury for giving me the joy of a lifetime. I love you, you beautiful man. This is for and because of you, gorgeous.”
The two trophies were the final prizes in a ceremony that had been expected to be a consecration for A Star is Born – starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper in the age-old Hollywood fable of an ailing performer and his muse – which went into the night with five nods.
Star had to content itself with a statuette for best song, which went to Gaga and writing partner Mark Ronson, while Christian Bale – who plays Cheney – picked up the solo gong for Vice. Civil rights dramedy Green Book was the numerical winner – if not the prestige player – picking up awards for best comedy movie, best supporting actor Mahershala Ali and best screenplay.
The gala at the Beverly Hilton also recognised Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma, a cinematic ode to his childhood in 1970s Mexico City, with best director and foreign film honours, while seven movies bagged one statuette each. “Cinema at its best builds bridges to other cultures,” Cuaron told the audience. “We need to understand how much we have in common.”
Irish win
Olivia Colman, who plays Queen Anne in The Favourite, produced by Irish production company Element Pictures, won best actress in a motion picture, musical or comedy. The film, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos – a longtime collaborator with Element – had been nominated for Golden Globes across five categories. This follows Golden Globe nominations for previous Element productions including The Guard, Room and The Lobster.
The film was shot by Irish cinematographer Robbie Ryan and was partly post-produced in Dublin. It’s written by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara and is produced by Ed Guiney and executive produced by Andrew Lowe for Element Pictures. Irish actress Catriona Balfe was also nominated for a Golden Globe, for her role in the TV series Outlander.
Time’s up
A number of A-listers worked the red carpet with last year’s gender politics still very much in mind. Many wore Time’s Up bracelets in a nod to the movement for sexual equality in the workplace that grabbed the headlines 12 months ago as the industry faced a reckoning about rampant harassment and abuse.
Hosting the Globes were comedian Andy Samberg and actress Sandra Oh, who made history as the first Asian woman to have presented a major awards show while also taking home her second Globe for Killing Eve.
Samberg paid tribute to the diversity among the slate of films up for awards, singling out If Beale Street Could Talk, whose star Regina King took home best supporting actress honours, as well as Black Panther and Crazy Rich Asians, which went home empty-handed.
“And they are not just here tonight because they resonated with audiences Hollywood often ignores,” he said. “They are here because they told stories that resonated with everyone. And that is truly a beautiful thing.”
King vowed that, for the next two years, she would only produce projects that employ 50% women, exclaiming: “Time’s Up times two!”
“And I just challenge anyone out there – anyone out there who is in a position of power, not just in our industry, in all industries – I challenge you to challenge yourselves and stand with us in solidarity and do the same,” she said.
Other wins
In the acting categories, Glenn Close The Wife bested the favourite Lady Gaga on the drama side. “Thank you to Satan for giving me inspiration for playing this role,” deadpanned Bale.
Bradley Cooper – who plays the ageing rocker opposite Gaga’s singer in Star – had been favourite for best actor in a drama but was edged out by Malek. The television side of the Globes can feel a bit redundant coming so soon after the Emmys in September, with many of the same nominees as the Television Academy field.
Best drama series went to the acclaimed FX Cold War spy thriller The Americans – its first Golden Globe for its sixth and final season. But adding spice to the mix yesterday are programmes that aired too late for Emmys contention.
Netflix comedy The Kominsky Method took home the best comedy series trophy and best actor honours for Michael Douglas
