The 82nd edition of the Golden Globes had it all. There were amazing winners, stunning fashion, an open bar that never ran dry, and fantastic acceptance speeches. Some were funny, others were profound, and one served as a testament to one actor’s perseverance in this industry when she was truly considering giving it all up. Below we’ve listed the eight best speeches of the night. Is your favorite on the list? If not, which ones are we missing? Let us know in the comments section and by voting in our poll below.
What was arguably the most shocking acting win of the night produced what was possibly the best speech of the night. After remarking that this was the first time in her 45-year career that she had won something, Moore related how a producer called her a “popcorn actress” 30 years ago, which she took to mean “that I could do movies that were successful and made a lot of money, but that I couldn’t be acknowledged, and I bought in and I believed that.” She was seriously considering giving up acting, but that’s when Coralie Fargeat’s “bonkers” script for The Substance made its way to her.
After thanking her team, Fargeat, and costar Margaret Qualley, Moore had a parting message that reflected the themes of the film. “In those moments when we don’t think we are smart enough or pretty enough or skinny enough or successful enough, or basically just not enough, I had a woman say to me, just know you will never be enough, but you can know the value of your worth if you just put down the measuring stick. So today I celebrate this as a marker of my wholeness and of the love that is driving me, and the gift of doing something I love and being reminded that I do belong.” Not only do you belong, Demi, but you may have just reached frontrunner status in this year’s Oscar race.
No one was more surprised than Stan for his victory, playing a man cured of neurofibromatosis only to find that his challenges in life don’t get any easier. Stan first shouted out the film’s director, Aaron Schimberg, and costar Adam Pearson before making an impassioned statement about telling uncomfortable stories. “Our ignorance and discomfort around disability and disfigurement has to end now. We have to normalize it and continue to expose ourselves and our children. Encourage acceptance. One way we can do that is by continuing to champion stories that are inclusive.” Remarking on both A Different Man and The Apprentice, Stan said, “These are tough subject matters, but these films are real and they are necessary. We can’t be afraid and look away.”
Saldaña was in tears right from the beginning. In acknowledging her fellow nominees, she said, “I know that this is a competition, and all that I have witnessed is just us showing up for each other and celebrating each other and it’s just so beautiful.” She also remarked that she once had lunch at the home of fellow nominee Isabella Rossellini and thought then that she had made it. In saluting director Jacques Audiard, Saldaña tearfully declared, “You’re so French and so chic and confident and kind. I love it!” She then said to her costar Karla Sofía Gascón that no one else could have played Emilia. As the music started to play her off, she quickly thanked Netflix and her family, which included her mother, who attended the ceremony with her.
After quick thank-yous to some of the artists behind Wicked, Chu got personal, recounting how his parents came to this country and loved The Wizard of Oz. He then said of everyone who worked on the film, “We all fell in love with movies at some point. We were all in the dark when we saw something that changed our brains and made us see a perspective that we never thought before or open a culture that we never believed existed before, and it made us drop everything and risk everything to be in this town right now.” After thanking the fans for all they’ve done he mused about the times we’re living in: “In a time when pessimism and cynicism sort of rule the planet right now, we can still make art that is a radical act of optimism, that is empowerment, that is joy.”
The show’s creator stood on stage next to his wife and co-creator, Rachel Kondo, and remarked that just yesterday the two of them were searching for a 50-pound tortoise that they had adopted, “and now here we are and Han Solo is looking at us,” referencing Harrison Ford. Marks then explained how nothing about this show “was expected.” Of those who helped get the show made, Marks said, “All of you guys said yes so many times over the years to a show that on paper you should, quite frankly, have never said yes to. It is a miracle that everyone still has their jobs.” He then added that it was a miracle that his marriage to Kondo is still intact and then added for his kids, “it is a miracle if we ever find that tortoise again, so we are going to get a GPS tracker soon, girls. I promise.”
In accepting the prize for his semi-autobiographical limited series, Gadd made an impassioned plea for streamers and networks to tell weird and uncomfortable stories. “I think right now, when the world’s in the state that it’s in and people are really struggling, we need stories that speak to the complicated and difficult nature of our times. Commissioner streamers: when you’re totting up the numbers and putting together the budgets for this year, remember to keep some back for the little person to tell their story.”
Farrell continued to prove that he’s one of the best in the business at making speeches. His first line was, “No one to thank on this one. I did it all by myself.” But then, in crediting the work of makeup designer Mike Marino, Farrell said, “All it took was three hours in the chair each morning. I drank black coffee, listened to ‘80s music and became a canvas for that team’s brilliance.” He mused, “Yeah, I guess it’s prosthetics from here on out.” But his most charming moment came when he acknowledged his fellow nominees and remarked that he had made his first film with Ripley star Andrew Scott, “25, 30 years ago. You can’t even find it on Betamax.” The remark drew a huge laugh from Scott. As he was about to leave the stage, Farrell suddenly remembered someone else who deserved to be thanked: craft services, with one specific person in mind. “Carolina! Those cold winter nights in New York where I was the only one overheating, she’d be there with a coconut water every half-an-hour. Carolina, God bless you, she kept the whole crew going!”
Gunning started her speech by joking about almost falling and exposing herself on her way to the stage. “I almost tripped up. You’d have saw my golden globes then!” She then brought up an old Christmas video from when she was eight years old. “My mom and dad got me a hamster for Christmas and they brought it out in this bin bag. I kept saying, ‘I can’t believe this is happening to me. I can’t believe this is happening to me.’” She likened that to the experiences the Netflix series has brought her over the past year. “Baby Reindeer has changed my life in ways I can’t even explain, so thank you for everything. I can’t believe this is happening to me, and I know that 8-year-old me wouldn’t either.”
