Since October — when dozens of women came forward accusing mega-producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault — the word “change” has been thrown around a lot. A promise that victims of sexual assault will no longer be silenced; a call for more women to calling the shots behind the camera; a collective effort to make the entertainment industry more socially conscious. And last night’s Golden Globes ceremony was arguably the clearest illustration yet of Hollywood’s ongoing metamorphosis. The night felt more like a rally than an awards show at times: Oprah delivered a moving speech about Rosa Parks’s investigation of unreported rapes, attendees showed solidarity with victims of sexual assault by wearing all black, and female-led treasures like Big Little Lies, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Lady Bird won major awards. The three-hour ceremony made it clear: the #metoo movement is only going to get stronger in 2018.
Here are the ten moments that made us believe in the world again at the 75th Golden Globes.
This Is Us Star Sterling K. Brown talked about unapologetically black roles
Last night, Sterling K. Brown made history by becoming the first black man to win the “Best Lead Actor in a TV Series, Drama” category at the Golden Globes. “Hopefully it won’t be another 75 years before another black man wins this,” he said during his emotional acceptance speech. Sterling talked about being proud of winning this award for a character that was written specifically for a black actor — a role that captures the deep nuances of black manhood. “Throughout the majority of my career, I have benefited from colorblind casting, which means, you know what, hey, let’s throw a brother in this role. Right? It’s always really cool,” Sterling said, tears running down his cheeks. “But Dan Fogelman, you wrote a role for a black man that could only be played by a black man. What I appreciate so much about this is that I’m being seen for who I am and being appreciated for who I am. And it makes it that much more difficult to dismiss me, or dismiss anybody who looks like me.”
Tommy Wiseau reminded us that dreams can come true
Over a decade ago, Tommy Wiseau was complaining about all the traffic the Golden Globes had caused (and not completely sure what the Golden Globes was). So seeing him onstage with James Franco, beaming from ear to ear, was proof that everyone has the potential to have a meta-absurdist comedy about their critically panned, low-budget cult film produced and even celebrated. James appeared to be very intent on making sure Tommy didn’t get hold of the microphone during his acceptance speech. But, thankfully, Tommy revealed right after the show what he would’ve said: “If a lot of people loved each other, the world would be a better place to live.”
Oprah delivered the greatest speech of 2018
Oprah has always been a hero, but the media mogul and sage reached a new peak last night. She used her acceptance speech for the Cecil B. DeMille Award for Lifetime Achievement as a chance to talk about race, sexism in Hollywood, and the power of truth. Arriving towards the end of the night, Oprah’s speech felt like a culmination of all the historic wins, disruptive red carpet moments, and solidarity of the evening. Perhaps the most impactful moment was when she recounted the undershared story of Recy Taylor, who, in 1941 at age 12, was raped by six white men. “The men who tried to destroy her were never prosecuted,” Oprah said. “Recy Taylor died ten days ago, just shy of her 98th birthday. She lived, as we all have lived, too many years in a culture broken by brutally powerful men. For too long, women have not been heard or believed if they dare speak the truth to the power of those men. But their time is up. Their time is up. Their time is up.”
Natalie Portman called out the Golden Globes for its all-male “Best Director” category
Natalie said what were all thinking when she introduced the nominees for Best Director: Why were they all men? (FOR THE THIRD YEAR IN A ROW!) But, of course, she did it in the classiest way possible: “Here are the all-male nominees.”
Big Little Lies basically won everything
Big Little Lies did more than show us the dark side of PTA meetings. The show also illustratedthe effects of abuse: Celeste (played by Nicole Kidman) slowly realizes her husband’s behavior is not okay and struggles to leave him.
And the cast and crew of BLL delivered some powerful speeches during their numerous wins. Laura Dern encouraged women to speak out about abuse. “Many of us were taught not to tattle,” she said. “It was a culture of silencing and that was normalized… May we teach our children that speaking out without the fear of retribution is our culture’s new North Star.” Meanwhile, Nicole Kidman highlighted the role storytelling can play in changing our world: “This character that I played represents something that is the center of our conversation right now: abuse. I do believe and I hope that we can elicit change through the stories we tell and the way we tell them.”
Michelle Williams brought the founder of the #MeToo movement as her date
There has been criticism that Tanya Burke, the founder of the #MeToo campaign, has been left out of press coverage of the movement. Case in point: Tayna was not included in Time’s Person of the Year #MeToo cover. So it was exciting to see Tanya in the spotlight, alongside actress Michelle Williams, who brought the social activist as her date. Michelle lauded Tanya during red carpet interviews, saying, “I thought I would have to raise my daughter to learn how to protect herself in a dangerous world, but I think the work that Tarana has done and the work that I’m learning how to do — we actually have the opportunity to hand our children a different world.”
#TimesUp pins were the pussy hats of the night
After the birth of the #MeToo movement, hundreds of women in the entertainment industry teamed up to create Time’s Up. It’s a new legal defense fund set up to help protect victims of sexual assault. To raise awareness of the new fund, celebrities from Get Out star Daniel Kaluuya to Meryl Streep to James Franco wore Time’s Up pins last night. And, of course, they’re for sale now.
Saoirse Ronan FaceTimed her mom while accepting her award for Lady Bird
Saoirse needs a “Best Daughter” award to display next to her new Golden Globe. The Lady Bird actress fulfilled every parent’s wildest dream last night, when she FaceTimed her mom while accepting a Golden Globe. (Or rather, had a friend hold up her iPhone while she did her thing on stage.) It’s nice to see Saoirse and her breakout character both share a unique friendship with their mothers.
Fashion was not the focus of the red carpet — well, kind of
This year, a number of actresses decided not to talk about their outfits during their red carpet interviews. It was part of an effort to keep the focus on the advocacy. Celebrities have been delivering multiple explanations for the symbolism behind their black outfits. But, as fashion critic Alexander Fury pointed out, it’s exactly this multiplicity that gives black its strong message. “It’s the color of judge’s robes, of maid’s uniforms, of priest’s vestments, of nun’s habits,” Alexander wrote. “It’s the color of newsprint, reporting all this injustice. It’s the color of law, too. It also melts away, arguably — focusing attention on the woman. Or here, women.”
Kirk Douglas received a touching tribute for ending Hollywood’s blacklist
In 1957, Kirk Douglas took a stand against the McCarthyist witch hunts rattling Hollywood and worked to end the notorious “blacklist.” Douglas (then 44 years old) took a stand with his beloved film Spartacus: he demanded the blacklisted writer’s real name, Dalton Trumbo, be listed in the movie’s credits. “Too many people were using false names back then. I was embarrassed,” Douglas told The Hollywood Reporter in 2012. “My company produced Spartacus, written by Dalton Trumbo, a blacklisted writer, under the name Sam Jackson. I was young enough to be impulsive, so, even though I was warned against it, I used his real name on the screen.”
Last night, a 101-year-old Kirk Douglas sat on stage in his wheelchair and looked out at a sea of actors making their own moral stands. The scene suggested that, decades later, defiance has only grown — not died — in Hollywood.