Everything To Know About The 2021 Golden Globes

It Was A Virtual Affair

The Golden Globes are the first major event of awards season, and often a good indicator of which films will go on to Oscar glory. This year, former Saturday Night Live stars Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were back on hosting duties, only this time from New York and Los Angeles, making it the first time the award ceremony has been bicoastal. In true 2021 style, the awards were a largely virtual affair – complete with the technical glitches we’ve all become used to – with nominees and acceptance speeches dialled in from home. However, Fey and Poehler weren’t hosting to an empty room: there was a live audience at both venues, made up of frontline workers and first responders who have worked during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The Crown Won Big

The Crown was the big winner in the TV categories, winning four prizes in total, including best drama series. Acting prizes went to Josh O'Connor for his portrayal of Prince Charles and newcomer Emma Corrin for her performance as Princess Diana. Accepting her prize, Corrin said: "Most of all, thank you so much to [Princess] Diana, you have taught me compassion and empathy beyond any measure I could ever imagine." O'Connor – dressed impeccably in Loewe – also touched on mental health during the pandemic in his acceptance speech: "I'm very lucky to be able to work in this period, and there are so many people who are unable to work, who are alone and isolated, and I hope we can all collectively put mental health at the forefront our minds." Elsewhere, Gillian Anderson was named best supporting actress for her portrayal of formidable former prime minister Margaret Thatcher. Combined with prizes for The Queen’s Gambit and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The Crown’s four wins made it a great night for streaming service Netflix.

British Actors Made Their Mark

UK actors made an impression: of the ceremony’s 14 acting winners, half were British, including Sacha Baron Cohen for his turn in the Borat sequel, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm; Rosamund Pike, who won best actress in a musical or comedy film for I Care A Lot; and Daniel Kaluuya, who was named best supporting actor for Judas and the Black Messiah. In TV, John Boyega won best supporting actor in a limited series for his role in Small Axe, Steve McQueen's 2020 series of BBC films focused on the real-life experiences of the UK’s West-Indian community between 1969-1982.

Chloé Zhao Made History

For the first time in Golden Globes history, the majority of best director nominations were women: Emerald Fennell (who plays Camilla Parker-Bowles in The Crown) for the Carey Mulligan-starring film Promising Young Woman; Regina King for One Night in Miami and Chloé Zhao for Nomadland, which stars Oscar winner Frances McDormand. Zhao was named best director, which made her only the second female winner of the category in Golden Globes history, after Barbra Streisand in 1983. "Thank you everyone who made it possible to do what I love," Zhao said. "I fell in love with making movies and telling stories because it gave us a chance to laugh and cry together, to learn from each other, and to have more compassion for each other."

Some Of Our Favourite Shows Took Home Awards

SL-fave The Queen's Gambit won best limited series, while its star Anya Taylor-Joy – decked out in Dior – was also named best actress in a limited series. Elsewhere, following its run of Emmys success, Canadian comedy Schitt's Creek was named best comedy series, while Catherine O'Hara was also named best comedy actress. In film, the late Chadwick Boseman was posthumously named best actor in a drama film for his performance in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and Disney film Soul won best animated motion picture and best original score.

Diversity Was On The Agenda Once Again

The nominees and winners of the Golden Globes are voted for by 87 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), a group of international journalists based in California. However, a recent investigation by the LA Times found HFPA has no Black members. This omission was noted several times during the ceremony, most notably by Baron Cohen, who said: "Thank you to the all-white Hollywood Foreign Press," as he accepted the prize for best musical or comedy film for the Borat sequel. Accepting the Cecil B DeMille award for lifetime achievement, actor and activist Jane Fonda also called on Hollywood to “make an effort to expand that tent so everyone rises, and everyone’s story has a chance to be seen and heard.”