Golden Globe Nominees for 2021

So, we have reached that time of year again where the best of the best go head to head with award season. This year with a new wave of emerging talent and screen veterans taking up the lead. First up is the nominations for the Golden Globes, where we can spy a few local names in the line-up. Also, in the Best Director category, the ladies are leading with three out of the five nominees being female directors. So, with such tough contenders in the race, this year is looking to be a tough one to call….

Best Actor

Drama (Motion Picture)

• Riz Ahmed* in Sound of Metal- A silent gem in the acting game, Brit actor Riz Ahmed snags another Golden Globe nomination about loss and redemption.
• Chadwick Boseman in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – a posthumous entry by Black Panther star Boseman, whose portrayal of a tortured artist alongside Davis’s titular Ma Rainey.
• Anthony Hopkins* in The Father – alongside fellow Brit thespian portraying the delicate nature between parent and child.
• Gary Oldman* in Mank – starring as the titular Herman J.” Mank” Mankiewicz, eccentric thirties screenwriter, Oldman is the perfect artiste to embody late father of director David Fincher’s work as is seen in this alternate history biopic.
• Tahar Rahim in The Mauritanian – a raw contender in the stakes for Best Drama, this flick is.

Television Series 

• Jason Bateman in Ozark – the seedy, slow burning drug thriller series has retained its standard of critical acclaim, with unassuming lead Bateman raking in a humble nomination.
• Josh O’Connor* in The Crown – quickly garnering a large national audience, Netflix’s original series has spouted new and current talent from Old Blighty, with newbie O’Connor as young Prince Charles featured amongst the series various noms.
• Bob Odenkirk in Better Call Saul – Breaking Bad’s prequel spinoff has kept audiences firmly in the world of shady lawyers and the New Mexico landscape, and Odenkirk’s Saul Goodman is the man you just cannot say no to….
• Al Pacino in Hunters ­– veteran in the game Pacino proves us repeatedly that you cannot teach an old dog new tricks, but that the tricks he knows will always stand the test of time. Pacino stands tall amongst his fellow nominees.
• Matthew Rhys* in Perry Mason – in this reboot of the TV series from the 50/60s, Rhys takes on the infamous criminal defence attorney, joining Ahmed as a Brit racking up an impressive portfolio of complex roles.  

Best Actress

Drama (Motion Picture)

• Viola Davis in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – no stranger to critical acclaim, Davis makes a big splash as larger than life, Ma Rainey depicting a flamboyant yet vulnerable performance unseen in her previous work.
• Andra Day in The United States VS Billie Holiday- newcomer Day started out her career in entertainment primarily as a singer, which makes it no surprise she is undertaking fellow songbird Billie Holiday in this tragic historical drama marking the last days of the iconic jazz vocalist.
• Vanessa Kirby* in Pieces of a Woman ­–­ a quiet and subtle affair in subject matter amongst the rest of the nominees, The Crown’s Kirby is a woman lost and in grief, but it is the gut-wrenching honesty that Kirby delivers that makes this performance one to not underestimate.
• Frances McDormand in Nomadland - Reminiscent of 2007’s Into the Wild, veteran Frances McDormand (who earns a producing credit in this) stars as a woman free, leaving her life in society in favour of a modern nomadic lifestyle.
• Carey Mulligan* in Promising Young Woman- ­ certainly could live up to its title as it features a deeply feminine theme running through its production. Co-produced by Margot Robbie, Londoners Emerald Fennell, and Carey Mulligan bring up the helm in this topical tale of one woman’s quest for revenge.

Television Series (Drama)

• Olivia Colman* in The Crown – not only is she pulling in acclaim on the big screen, but Colman’s work on the small screen is also not going unnoticed. Having won Best Actress in 2019 and 2020 (for The Favourite and The Crown respectively), Colman is a seasoned professional who many are glad to see is finally receiving her flowers.
• Jodie Comer* in Killing Eve – beloved sadistic and sociopathic assassin, Comer is Eve. A Liverpudlian native, Comer manages a balance of childlike innocence and lethal bloodlust.  With her own cult fanbase, she is one to watch.
• Emma Corrin* in The Crown – another newcomer in the rankings, Corrin’s Princess Diana will have you looking twice. Drama school trained, Corrin joins O’Connor as a fresh face emerging from this popular series.
• Laura Linney in Ozark – Linney brings up the noms for this blue tinged noir, as onscreen husband Jason Bateman and she embody the Byrds, a couple pushed to the limits of desperation and reason.
• Sarah Paulson in Ratched- an imagined prequel for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Sarah Paulson is the unnervingly sunny Nurse Mildred Ratched, who’s inexplicable arrival at a Californian sanatorium sparks an unpredictable chain of events….

Best Supporting Actor

Motion Picture

• Sacha Baron Cohen in The Trial of the Chicago 7 - Born and raised in London, Baron Cohen is known for his improvised comedy skills, but now takes to the drama based on the infamous 1969 trial of seven defendants charged by the federal government with conspiracy and more,
• Daniel Kaluuya in Judas and the Black Messiah - is a British actor and writer. Kaluuya began his career as a teenager in improvisational theatre and is know for his lead in 'Get Out'.  He is now up for the Golden Globe for the drama of the FBI infiltrating the Black Panther party.
• Jared Leto in The Little Things - No stranger to the Golden Globes, Leto is up for another taking one the role of Albert Sparma in the thriller as Washington's leading role hunts a killer terrorising a city.
• Bill Murray in On The Rocks -  The brilliantly witty performer returns to the screen as the supporting lead as A young mother reconnects with her larger-than-life playboy father on an adventure through New York
• Leslie Odom Jr. in One Night in Miami - The New Yorker best know for his work on Broadway now working to the screen is up for the fictional account of one incredible night where icons Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown gathered discussing their roles in the Civil Rights Movement.

Television Series

• John Boyega* in Small Axe – Boyega’s Hollywood success has not led him to be starry eyed as he remains faithful to his British roots in this anthology series highlighting the struggles of West Indian immigration to London from the 60s-80s. If it could not get any more British, director Steve McQueen (of 12 Years a Slave fame) is the source of this brainchild.
• Brendan Gleeson* in The Comey Rule – a daring series based on real life events of the 2016 presidential election, Gleeson takes on the mountain that is Donald Trump in the days leading up to his presidency. A sharp political look at the shadows and secrecy surrounding politics, this miniseries is based on the factual recount of former FBI director.
• Daniel Levy in Schitt’s Creek – not only is he one of the four lead actors (one of which is his father on and off screen), but multitalented creative Levy is responsible for writing and directing this offbeat comedy. As the spoiled senseless eldest son, Levy juggles his acting hat with ease in this comedic turn.
• Jim Parsons in Hollywood – miniseries set within period eras seem to be the theme of the moment, as audiences find themselves sinking into sweet nostalgia. In this tale, told through the eyes of aspiring actors set against the backdrop of post-World War II Hollywood. In this mix, Parsons is a reimagined (real life) talent agent Henry Willson.
• Donald Sutherland in The Undoing- starring alongside Hollywood giant Nicole Kidman, Sutherland features as Kidman’s father Franklin Renner who is both charming and frightening in this newest psychological thriller miniseries. The game in question is whodunnit, with a series of twists and turns bound to keep you questioning….

Best Supporting Actress

Motion Picture

• Glenn Close in Hillbilly Elegy -  the world renowned  New York stage, movie and TV star is up for another Golden Globe with the story of multi-generational family from a small Ohio town as a Yale student is forced to return home.
• Olivia Colman in The Father - The lovable and witty Norwich born performer has seen many of awards for her work and continues to take the world by storm as Queen Elizabeth II in the Netflix hit 'The Crown'
• Jodie Foster in The Mauritanian - The L.A. performer and director' career stretches back to the 70's and now takes on the award nomination for her role as defense attorney Nancy Hollander seeking justice for Mohamedou Ould Salahi (Rahim), who is captured by the U.S. government and is languishing in Guantanamo Bay claiming falsely without charge or trial.
• Amanda Seyfried in Mank - From 'Mama Mia' to recreating old Hollywood, Seyfried is up for the Golden Globes in the role of Marion Davies as Herman J. Mankiewicz races to complete Citizen Kane in the 1930's
• Helena Zegel in News of the World - Helena Zengel  of Berlin acted in the German movies The Daughter (2017) and System Crasher (2019). Now with Tom Hanks in the American western 'News of the World' (2020) directed by Paul Greengrass, Zegel is on the list as the youngest nominee for this year's Golden Globes.

​Television Series

• Gillian Anderson in The Crown – no stranger to dabbling in US and UK productions, Anderson’s latest role is that of powerhouse former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, in this historical drama that seems to be sweeping the categories season after season…
• Helena Bonham Carter* in The Crown – Alongside Colman, Anderson and Corrin, the ladies are holding The Crown up as Bonham Carter replaces Pieces of a Woman’s Kirby as an older Princess Margaret. With a lengthy, illustrious career under her belt, it is no wonder this latest role will receive the same praise.
• Julia Garner in Ozark – a pivotal character in the series, Garner’s effortless performance of teenage delinquent for a penchant for organised crime managed to win critics over in this year’s nominations.
• Annie Murphy in Schitt’s Creek – Netflix has steadily been responsible for introducing successful series in various genres, with this latest sitcom devised from lead patriarch Eugene Levy’s son Daniel (wrier, director for this series and up for a Best Supporting Actor nom for this), about a family who went from riches to rags. Murphy is the spoiled daughter, a portrayal that has been labelled as the “breakout” of the show.
• Cynthia Nixon in Ratched – best known for her role in female dominated Sex and the City, Nixon plays a seemingly naïve press secretary for a prominent governor; a pawn in the spinning web co-star Sarah Paulson’s Ratched weaves as the show develops.

 

*‘BRITS ON THE LIST’ Honourable Mentions *

• Riz Ahmed (ever since his appearance alongside Jake Gyllenhaal in 2014’s Nightcrawler, Ahmed has impressed audiences with his portrayal of versatile characters)
• Helena Bonham Carter
• John Boyega
• Olivia Colman
• Jodie Comer (she is originally from Liverpool! A bit of Northern talent)
• Emma Corrin
• Brendan Gleeson (Irish actor and father of actor sons Domhnall and Brian)
• Vanessa Kirby
• Carey Mulligan
• Matthew Rhys (Welsh and talented like fellow Welshman Christian Bale who won ‘Best Actor (Musical/Comedy)’ back in 2019 for his unrecognisable take on notorious politician Dick Cheney)

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