Anya Taylor-Joy has won the Golden Globes for best actress in a limited series or TV movie for her lead in Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit, about an orphaned chess prodigy.
The 24-year-old actress of Argentine descent defeated past Golden Globe and Academy Award winners Cate Blanchett and Nicole Kidman, who competed for their roles in Mrs. America and The Undoing, respectively. Taylor-Joy acknowledged both acclaimed actresses in her acceptance speech. She also prevailed over Normal People’s Daisy Edgar-Jones and Unorthodox’s Shira Haas, both of whom—like Taylor-Joy—were first time Golden Globe nominees.
However, in the case of The Queen’s Gambit star, she got two nods for the coveted award presented by Hollywood Foreign Press Association. She also vied for the Golden Globe for best actress in a motion picture musical or comedy for Emma. The award in that category went to Rosamund Pike for I Care a Lot.
A LONG WAY FROM ATLANTIS
The Golden Globe win is a big accomplishment for Taylor-Joy, who now has earned 11 awards and 26 nominations since her debut in the 2015 fantasy series Atlantis. Accolades started to roll in that same year with The Witch, a period horror film that won the actress nine film festival prizes. Other recent movies that have brought her recognition are Glass, Marrowbone, and Thoroughbreds.
Taylor’s Golden Globe was one of two awards for the series she leads. The Queen’s Gambit also took home the prize for best television limited series or motion picture made for television.
The awards night also featured a few other Latino stars, including actresses Rosie Perez and Salma Hayek, who were presenters, as well as Lin-Manuel Miranda, whose Hamilton musical film was nominated in two categories—for best musical or comedy motion picture and for best actor.
JANE FONDA’S MESSAGE
One of the biggest highlights of the event was the speech delivered by actress Jane Fonda while accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award, honoring the outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment. Her subject: diversity in Hollywood.
“You know, we are a community of storytellers, aren’t we?,” said the On Golden Pond actress. “And in turbulent, crisis-torn times like these, storytelling has always been essential.”
Fonda talked about the power of stories and art to change hearts and minds and acknowledged the challenges one sometimes faces to understand people of diverse backgrounds at work and life. “But inevitably, if my heart is open, and I look beneath the surface, I feel kinship,” she said and called for more inclusivity in film and Hollywood.
“So let’s all of us—including all the groups that decide who gets hired and what gets made and who wins awards—let’s all of us make an effort to expand that tent,” added Fonda, “so that everyone rises and everyone’s story has a chance to be seen and heard.”
GOLDEN GLOBE: COMPLETE LIST OF WINNERS
Best motion picture, drama:
Nomadland
Best actress in a motion picture, drama:
Andra Day, The United States v. Billie Holiday
Best actor in a motion picture, drama:
Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Best motion picture, comedy or musical:
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Best actress in a motion picture, comedy or musical:
Rosamund Pike, I Care a Lot
Best actor in a motion picture, comedy or musical:
Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Best director, motion picture:
Chloé Zhao, Nomadland
Best supporting actress in a motion picture:
Jodie Foster, The Mauritanian
Best supporting actor in a motion picture:
Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah
Best TV series, drama:
The Crown (Netflix)
Best actress in a TV series, drama:
Emma Corrin, The Crown (Netflix)
Best actor in a TV series, drama:
Josh O’Connor, The Crown (Netflix)
Best TV series, musical or comedy:
Schitt’s Creek (Pop TV)
Best actress in a TV series, musical or comedy:
Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek (Pop TV)
Best actor in a TV series, musical or comedy:
Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso (Apple TV Plus)
Best limited series or TV movie:
The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix)
Best actress in a limited series or TV movie:
Anya Taylor-Joy, The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix)
Best actor in a limited series or TV movie:
Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True (HBO)
Best supporting actress in a series, limited series or TV movie:
Gillian Anderson, The Crown (Netflix)
Best supporting actor in a series, limited series or TV movie:
John Boyega, Small Axe (Amazon)
Best screenplay, motion picture:
Aaron Sorkin, The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best animated feature film:
Soul
Best foreign language film:
Minari (United States)
Best original score, motion picture:
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste, Soul
Best original song, motion picture:
Io sì (Seen) from The Life Ahead
Featured Top Photo: Anya Taylor-Joy, left, reacts to winning best actress in a television limited series ‘The Queen’s Gambit.’ Oscar and Golden Globe nominee Rosie Perez announces the winner onstage at the 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Rainbow Room on February 28, 2021. Photo: Peter Kramer/NBC