Golden Globes 2023: Elizabeth Debicki and Cate Blanchett best hopes for Australian actors
There is plenty on the line for some of Australia’s biggest stars as the Golden Globes finally return to TV after a series of scandals.
Golden Globes
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Elizabeth Debicki and Cate Blanchett are our brightest hopes to bring home gold from the slew of Aussie nominations as the Golden Globes return to television after a scandal-plagued couple of years.
Blanchett is the absolute frontrunner in the best actress category for her portrayal of a famous composer who is caught up in a public scandal in Todd Field’s Tár.
Fresh from winning the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at this year’s Venice International Film Festival, she’ll compete for her fourth Golden Globe against Olivia Colman (Empire of Light), Viola Davis (The Woman King), Ana de Armas (Blonde) and Michelle Williams (The Fabelmans).
And the expected victory will place her in great stead for her race to claim her third Oscar when the Academy Awards are held in LosAngeles in March.
Debicki – who’s flying the flag solo for Australia in television – was outstanding as Princess Diana alongside the somewhat miscast Dominic West as Prince Charles in the fifth season of The Crown, as they played out the infamous downfall of their marriage. She’ll be hoping to follow in the footsteps of her predecessor Emma Corrin, who won a Golden Globe for portraying Princess Diana during Season 4 of the royal drama.
However it’s fairly stiff competition as she vies for the best supporting actress – television award alongside Hannah Einbinder (Hacks), Julia Garner (Ozark), Janelle James (Abbott Elementary) and Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary).
Garner’s already won three Emmys for her fan-favourite portrayal of Ruth and is Debicki’s greatest threat to taking home her first win from her first nomination at the awards.
While Baz Lurhmann’s spectacular biopic Elvis picked up three nominations – best film (drama), best actor in a drama, he’ll face stiff competition behind the camera in what is only his second time being nominated and first in more than two decades, lining up against James Cameron (Avatar: The Way of Water), Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Martin McDonagh (The Banshees of Inisherin) and Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans) for best director. Instead, Cameron is highly favoured to take home the gong for his visually stunning and immersive sequel.
Top Gun, which surprised plenty with its $1.5 billion box-office takings, could shock again with many tipping it will snare the mantle of best picture from Luhrmann’s Elvis, Avatar: The Way of Water, The Fabelmans and Tár.
Adopted Aussie Austin Butler – who spent months in Queensland filming his magnificent performance as the King Of Rock and Roll – is gathering momentum and rather fancied as a dark horse in the best actor in a drama race.
Also nominated in the same category is Hugh Jackman for his portrayal as a successful lawyer suffering from depression in The Son. Unfortunately, Jackman’s unlikely to add another golden statuette to his trophy cabinet.
It’s hard to go past Brendan Fraser who’s had one hell of a comeback as Charlie, the optimistic, reclusive English teacher trying to reconnect with his teenage daughter in The Whale. Not only has Hollywood been singing his praises, but a six-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival brought the actor to tears and virtually sealed nominations and wins at all the major awards this year.
Rounding out the Aussies in contention is Margot Robbie in the ode to 1920s silent-era Hollywood, Babylon. Like Blanchett, Robbie is nominated for her third Golden Globe in five years, getting a nod for her appearance as Nellie LaRoy. She’s likely to go home empty-handed once again with Michelle Yeoh’s trippy performance as Evelyn Wang in the incredible mind-bending story Everything Everywhere All at Once the runaway favourite.
The Globes are desperately trying to mount a comeback this year after investigations found the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) – which votes on the awards – had no black members. That revelation was further compounded by allegations of ethical improprieties. At the time, many stars and studios said they would boycott the show, leading to NBC cancelling the telecast.
The ceremony was quietly held in a Beverly Hilton ballroom with no stars attending and winners announced on Twitter.
Since then the HFPA has taken significant steps to reform itself. In July it was taken over by Eldridge Industries, and in September it announced it had appointed 103 non-member voters to increase the diversity of its voting pool, saying that its voters were now 52 per cent female and 51.5 per cent racially and ethnically diverse (of which 19.5 per cent Latino, 12 per cent Asian, 10 per cent Black and 10 per cent Middle Eastern).
The HFPA’s president Helen Hoehne also said the organisation had banned its members from accepting gifts from studios.
However, the HFPA has not managed to win over everyone. Aforementioned best actor frontrunner Fraser has already said he would not attend the awards ceremony after alleging he was sexually assaulted in 2003 by Philip Berk, a longtime HFPA member and a former president of the organisation.
Hoehne responded by saying: “I personally, sincerely hope … we are able to regain Mr Fraser’s trust, along with the trust of the entire entertainment community.”
There are also questions whether Cruise, who returned his three Globes after the scandal, will join Fraser in boycotting the 2023 ceremony. While he was overlooked for his reprise lead role in the box-office smash Top Gun: Maverick, the highest-grossing film of the year is nominated for best film, drama, and best song. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer was among the first to celebrate the nominations with a statement of thanks. Cruise – also a producer – has been noticeably silent.
Butler, de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Spielberg, Tony Kushner, and Williams are “expected” to attend. RRR director S.S. Rajamouli and stars N.T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan will be attending. Daniel Craig is a maybe.
Yes, the HFPA has made great strides to restore its reputation and inclusivity, but female directors as a whole were snubbed this year. Despite strong contenders including Sarah Polley for Women Talking, Gina Prince-Bythewood for The Woman King and Chinonye Chukqwu for Till, not a single woman was nominated for best director.
In fact, only nine women have ever been nominated in the category, with three winners, in its 80-year history: Barbra Streisand for Yentl (1983), Chloe Zhao for Nomadland (2020), and Jane Campion for The Power Of The Dog (2021).
Known for its boozy, celebrity-stuffed broadcast, the Globes had long reigned as one of the most-watched non-sporting live programs of the year. But ratings, as they have for most award shows, slid for the Globes in recent years. The 2021 show, held amid the pandemic, was watched by 6.9 million, down from 18 million the year prior.
This year’s ceremony looks set to be an absolute make-or-break moment for the once high-rating telecast. NBC has praised the HFPA for its ongoing reforms but also reworked its contract. The network will broadcast the 2023 show in a one-year deal and shifted the telecast to a Tuesday (Wednesday our time) from the Globes previous Sunday night perch.
It most definitely remains to be seen whether the HFPA has done enough to fully erase its past. Or if its golden days are now history.
The Golden Globes, Wednesday, Stan
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