Golden Globes 2022: The Power of the Dog and West Side Story big winners at untelevised ceremony

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Netflix‘s The Power of the Dog and 20th Century Studios’ West Side Story were the big winners at the untelevised 2022 Golden Globe Awards ceremony on Sunday night.

The ceremony at the Beverly Hilton was not televised nor live streamed, with no audience members, celebrity presenters or press members in attendance. Taking the place of movie stars were staff members representing various non-profits supported by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, who were on hand to announce winners at the ceremony.

The awards show had been stripped back to a private event, with the winners announced via Twitter, after stars called for a boycott of the ceremony due to the lack of diversity on the HFPA panel. 

The Power of the Dog cleaned up on the Drama awards and West Side Story dominated Comedy or Musical, Will Smith won his first Golden Globe for his critically-acclaimed performance in King Richard. 

MJ Rodriguez also made Golden Globes history as the first ever trans woman to win a Globe, winning for Best Actress in a TV Series – Drama for FX’s Pose. Rodriguez was one of only a handful of winners to acknowledge their win on social media, with major winners including Kate Winslet, Michael Keaton, Jason Sudeikis, Will Smith and Nicole Kidman failing to post. 

The Power Of the Dog ended up winning three of the seven awards it was nominated for, Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture (Kodi Smit-McPhee) and Best Director – Motion Picture (Jane Campion).

The film beat out Belfast, CODA, Dune and King Richard for Best Picture – Drama, while Campion became just the third female winner of Best Director ever (behind Barbra Streissand and Chloe Zhao).

She beat out Kenneth Branagh (Belfast), Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Lost Daughter), Steven Spielberg (West Side Story) and Denis Villeneuve (Dune).

Smit-McPhee beat out Ben Affleck (The Tender Bar), Jamie Dornan (Belfast), Ciaran Hinds (Belfast) and Troy Kotsur (CODA) for the Supporting Actor award.

West Side Story dominated on the Comedy or Musical side, winning three awards on the night – Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical, Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (Rachel Zegler) and Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture (Ariana DeBose). 

The musical adaptation of the Broadway classic beat out Cyrano, Don’t Look Up, Licorice Pizza and Tick Tick Boom for Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical. 

Rachel Zegler, who made her feature film debut in West Side Story, beat out Marion Cotillard (Annette), Alana Haim (Licorice Pizza), Jennifer Lawrence (Don’t Look Up) and Emma Stone (Cruella).

DeBose beat out Catriona Balfe (Belfast), Kirsten Dunst (The Power of the Dog), Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard) and Ruth Negga (Passing).

Will Smith won his first Golden Globe in six nominations, winning Best Actor in a Film – Drama, beating out Mahershala Ali (Swan Song) Javier Bardem (Being the Ricardos), Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog) and Denzel Washington (The Tragedy of Macbeth).

Nicole Kidman won Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama for Being the Ricardos, beating out Jessica Chastain (The Eyes of Tammy Faye), Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter), Lady Gaga (House of Gucci) and Kristen Stewart (Spencer).

Other winners in the film category included Billie Eilish for Best Original Song from No Time To Die, Hans Zimmer for Best Original Score for Dune, Encanto for Best Motion Picture – Animated and Drive My Car for Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language.

On the television side of the Globes, Succession took home three awards – Best Television Series – Drama, Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama (Jeremy Strong) and Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role on Television (Sarah Snook).

Hacks was the big winner on the comedy side, winning Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy and Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy (Jean Smart).  

MJ Rodriguez made history for winning Best Actress in a TV Series – Drama, the first trans actress ever to win a Golden Globe Award, beating out Uzo Aduba (In Treatment), Jennifer Aniston (The Morning Show), Christine Baranski (The Good Fight) and Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale). 

Netflix’s breakout hit Squid Game also took home an award, with O Yeong-Su winning Best Actor in a Supporting Role on a TV series, beating out Billy Crudup (The Morning Show), Kieran Culkin (Succession), Mark Duplass (The Morning Show) and Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso). 

 

Jason Sudeikis continued his awards season hot streak winning Best Actor in a TV Series – Musical/Comedy, beating out Anthony Anderson (Black-ish), Nicholas Hoult (The Great), Steve Martin (Only Murders in the Building) and Martin Short (Only Murders in the Building).

Michael Keaton won Best Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series for Dopesick, beating out Paul Bettany (WandaVision), Oscar Isaac (Scenes from a Marriage), Ewan McGrgeor (Holsten) and Tahar Rahim (The Serpent).

Other winners on the TV side was Kate Winslet for Best Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series for Mare of Eaststown, beating out Jessica Chastain (Scenes from a Marriage), Cynthia Erivo (Genius: Aretha), Elizabeth Olsen (WandaVision) and Margaret Qualley (Maid).

Amazon’s The Underground Railroad also took home the award for Best Limited or Anthology Series.It beat out Dopesick, American Crime Story: Impeachment, Maid and Mare of Easttown for the award.

 

The shift to social media didn’t go without a hitch, as movie fans slammed the official Twitter feed as ‘chaotic’ and ‘awkward.’

Among the biggest criticisms was the tweets’ failure to include all the key details. Many of the announcements didn’t state what the talent had won for, with a vague tweet heralding Andrew Garfield’s win for Best Actor In A Film – Drama, missing out that he picked up the prize for his performance in Tick, Tick BOOM!’

‘It takes 43 muscles to smile. Thanks for the workout Andrew Garfield and congratulations for taking home the #GoldenGlobe for Best Actor—Motion Picture—Musical/Comedy,’ read the baffling tweet.

‘Nowhere in these deeply chaotic Golden Globe tweets do they even mention the projects people are winning for,’ declared The New York Times’ Kyle Buchanan in response. 

Others poked fun at the tweets ‘awkward energy.’ One of the biggest misfires came with the announcement that West Side Story had picked up one of the night’s biggest prizes – Best Motion Picture – Musical/Comedy.

The accompanying tweet was confusing, deciding that the notoriously tragic retelling of Romeo and Juliet was a comedy. ‘If laughter is the medicine then West Side Story is the cure for what ails you’.

After a roasting on Twitter the tweet was swiftly deleted but replaced with one that made even less sense as it declared: ‘Music is the best medicine’.  

‘Okay, @goldenglobes, at least ‘laughter is the best medicine’ is a thing. Music is the best medicine’ isn’t a thing. Tonight, tonight, the world is full of light as @WestSideMovie wins the Golden Globe for Best Picture — Musical/Comedy. That’s the tweet,’ corrected one follower. 

‘Congrats to the executive that hired their nephew to run the Golden Globes social. I bet they will never write a series of tweets with the punchline being the winner’s name, ever, ever again,’ decided one tweeter, while another summed up the evening with:

‘Golden Globes used to be about watching celebrities get hammered and go off book. Then last year it was literally on zoom and no one knew what was what. And now we have these unhinged tweet announcements. Props to the Golden Globes for always choosing absolute chaos.’ 

While the Globes did their best to bring some fanfare to the muted occasion, the actual winners failed in the most part to match the enthusiasm. 

Major winners including Kate Winslet, Michael Keaton, Jason Sudeikis, Will Smith and Nicole Kidman failed to even acknowledge their victories on social media. 

West Side Story won for best picture, musical or comedy, while The Power of the Dog won best drama film. And while the official Twitter account for West Side Story shared a celebratory post, The Power of the Dog’s did not. 

Some of the more social media savvy winners did celebrate their win online, with West Side Story star Rachel Zegler, who boasts 423k Instagram followers, sharing a crying video after her name was announced.

The Power Of The Dog supporting actor winner Kodi Smit-McPhee let his dad, actor and former professional wrestler Andy McPhee do the talking as the young star shared a video of his father talking about his road to stardom.

Pose actress Michaela Jaé, who is the first transgender actress to win at the ceremony for her performance in Pose, was the loudest recipient, tweeting excitedly about her historic win. 

‘OMG OMGGG!!!! @goldenglobes Wow! You talking about sickening birthday present! Thank you! This is the door that is going to Open the door for many more young talented individuals.’    

‘They will see that it is more than possible. They will see that a young Black Latina girl from Newark New Jersey who had a dream, to change the minds others would WITH LOVE. LOVE WINS. To my young LGBTQAI babies WE ARE HERE the door is now open now reach the stars!!!!! @goldenglobes To the nominees we are Queens. I’m so happy to share space with you! Each and every last one of you women are phenomenal.’

‘They will see that it is more than possible. They will see that a young Black Latina girl from Newark New Jersey who had a dream, to change the minds others would WITH LOVE. LOVE WINS. To my young LGBTQAI babies WE ARE HERE the door is now open now reach the stars!!!!! @goldenglobes To the nominees we are Queens. I’m so happy to share space with you! Each and every last one of you women are phenomenal.’

A small group of HFPA members, presenters representing groups the HFPA has donated to and guests attended the closed-door ceremony and while the untelevised event didn’t have any celebrity guests in person, there were two celebs that appeared with video messages.

Jamie Lee Curtis appeared in a video touting the Hollywood Foreign Press’ philanthropic efforts, stating, ‘I am proud to be associated with them in this venture.’ 

Arnold Schwarzenegger also appeared in a video about the HFPA’s philanthropic ventures, stating, ‘They have not undertaken this journey for accolades, no, they’ve done it because they understand that to support the arts and creativity, one must cultivate new, original and diverse voices from all walks of life and all corners of the globe.’ 

 Last year NBC announced it would not broadcast this year’s Golden Globe Awards, after controversy over a lack of diversity among the members in the HFPA membership. 

At this year’s event — which is usually hailed as ‘the party of the year’ — there was no celebrities, no live audience, and no red carpet. The whole award show reportedly took an hour and a half and afterwards there was a poolside reception.

‘I think one of the magical things about the pre-pandemic Globes when there is a house full of celebrities is not only what happens during the live broadcast but during the commercial breaks. Those moments when you catch Spielberg talking to an up-and-coming TV actor. Those moments we obviously didn’t have — there were no commercial breaks and there were no celebrities,’ an unnamed HFPA member told the Los Angeles Times.  

At the 79th annual Golden Globes, the HFPA said the show would focus on philanthropy. It was an initiative taken following criticism of the association for a lack of ethics and inclusion amongst members. 

‘A lot of work has gone into it, and we’ve taken some really great strides,’ one member told the publication. ‘There’s more work to be done. We’re going to continue that work over the years. But I hope that people really see what’s been done, because it’s been significant.’ 

Staff members representing various non-profits supported by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association were on hand to announce winners on Sunday’s ceremony, with the only celebrity presence being Schwarzenegger and Curtis video appearances.

 It was revealed Tuesday by Variety that the Globes’ talent booker reached out to several publicity agencies about getting celebrity presenters, but no celebs agreed to take part.

HFPA president Helen Hoehne, gave a speech focusing on the organisation’s attempts to diversify and a focus on its philanthropy work after a controversial year which culminated in last year’s televised ceremony suffering a 60% drop in viewers. 

‘Last year the Hollywood Foreign Press Association was challenged to change – and we did,’ said Hoehne. ‘Both internally, within the Association, as well as adding 21 members to bring fresh perspectives.

‘We are on a journey of change and we’re not going to rest. We are going to be outspoken about what we’re learning and challenge others to join us.’

Kyle Bowser, senior vice-president of the NAACP Hollywood Bureau, spoke of the ‘Reimagine Coalition,’ a joint five-year initiative to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion across the global entertainment industry. ‘Imagination is the currency that sustains and propels the entertainment industries,’ he said during the ceremony.

A series of LA Times investigations last year revealed the lack of diversity in the HFPA’s voting membership. The expose reported that the 2021 voting panel did not include any Black members out of its 87 members. 

In response to the LA Times article, the HPFA introduced a series of new bylaws and in October 2021, appointed 21 new voters to their board and created a new board of directors.

The organization reports that it is the largest and most diverse class of new members in its history. Six of the new members are Black, 10 are women, six are Latinx, five are Asian and four are Middle Eastern/North African. 

They also announced they hoped by 2023, the ethnic-minority of membership of the HFPA will have increased by 50%.

Mark Ruffalo and Scarlett Johansson were the stars leading calls for a Golden Globes boycott, with Scarlett saying she had faced ‘sexist questions and remarks by certain HFPA members that bordered on sexual harassment.’

She released a statement last year that read: ‘As an actor promoting a film, one is expected to participate in awards season by attending press conferences as well as awards shows.

‘In the past, this has often meant facing sexist questions and remarks by certain HFPA members that bordered on sexual harassment. It is the exact reason why I, for many years, refused to participate in their conferences.’

She continued: ‘Unless there is necessary fundamental reform within the organization, I believe it is time that we take a step back from the HFPA and focus on the importance and strength of unity within our unions and the industry as a whole’.  

The organization’s track record of overlooking black- and minority-led films and television series at the Golden Globes has also been frequently criticized.

This year’s nominations included nine people of colour across the acting and directing categories – the same number as for the 2021 awards. 

Back in March, former president Philip Berk was expelled for forwarding an email dubbing Black Lives Matter a ‘hate movement,’ and two consultants hired to address the HFPA’s diversity issues quit over a lack of progress.

There were additional claims that the HFPA had not been inclusive enough to women or members of the LGBTQ community.  

Netflix and Amazon Studios both said they would cut ties with the HFPA if it didn’t swiftly enact more drastic changes. 

‘We don´t believe these proposed new policies – particularly around the size and speed of membership growth – will tackle the HFPA´s systemic diversity and inclusion challenges, or the lack of clear standards for how your members should operate,’ Netflix co-chief executive Ted Sarandos wrote in a letter to the group.

WarnerMedia said it would cease holding screenings and other events for the HFPA until it made more substantial changes.

‘For far too long, demands for perks, special favors and unprofessional requests have been made to our teams and to others across the industry,’ WarnerMedia executives said in a letter. ‘We regret that as an industry, we have complained, but largely tolerated this behavior until now.’

In a statement, NBC said it believes the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is committed to reform. But the network said change couldn’t come quickly enough for the 2022 Globes.

‘However, change of this magnitude takes time and work, and we feel strongly that the HFPA needs time to do it right,’ the network said. ‘As such, NBC will not air the 2022 Golden Globes. Assuming the organization executes on its plan, we are hopeful we will be in a position to air the show in January 2023.’

Prior to Sunday’s muted ceremony, Ricky Gervais shared his experience of hosting the Golden Globes over the past decade.

The Office creator told The Sun: ‘The first time I did it, ten years ago, everyone was like, “Ah, how can you talk to these wonderful multi-millionaires, how can you talk to these beautiful people, like that? We love celebrities.”‘ 

He went on: ‘By the last one it was like, “God, give it to them, we hate celebrities!”‘ He infamously hosted the event back in 2020, where various celebrities were the butt of his biting jokes. 

Ricky made jokes about Leonardo DiCaprio dating younger women, while he called out various celebrities for cosying up to Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein. 

He also commented on the fact that the public do not like ‘virtue signalling’ from celebrities anymore and that they do not ‘like to be lectured.’ He said: ‘The people with nothing became tired of being lectured by people who had everything.’