More than a dozen Latino stars and Latino-related TV and film projects are among the candidates for the 2022 Golden Globe Awards, including actors Javier Bardem, Anthony Ramos and Rachel Zegler and movies like tick, tick…BOOM!, West Side Story, Being the Ricardos and Madres Paralelas

Netflix’s tick, tick…BOOM! and 20th Century Fox’s West Side Story, directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Steven Spielberg, respectively, vie for the honor in two categories, Best Picture Drama and Best Picture-Musical/Comedy. tick, tick…BOOM!, a semi-biographical musical drama about a relatively young promising theater composer navigating romance, friendship and life’s challenges in New York City, marked the directorial debut of Miranda, the creator of the acclaimed stage musical Hamilton.

On the other hand, Spielberg’s new version of West Side Story features a sizable Latino cast portraying the musical film’s Puerto Rican characters–a welcome correction of the original 1961 movie. In fact, the 2021 film female lead, Zegler in the role of Maria, is also nominated for a Golden Globe in the Best Actress-Motion Picture-Musical/Comedy category. A newcomer to Hollywood, Zegler competes against established stars Marion Cotillard (Annette), Jennifer Lawrence (Don’t Look Up) and Emma Stone (Cruella) and the also newcomer Alana Haim (Licorice Pizza).

In both the Best Picture Drama and Best Picture-Musical/Comedy categories, tick, tick…BOOM! and West Side Story face Cyrano, Don’t Look Up and Licorice Pizza

Spanish actor Bardem is among the five candidates vying for the award for Best Actor-Motion Picture Drama for his role in the Amazon Original Movie Being the Ricardos, the Aaron Sorkin drama about the Hollywood power couple Dezi Arnaz and Lucille Ball. Bardem, a Golden Globe and Oscar winner, faces Mahershala Ali (Swan Song), Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog), Will Smith (King Richard) and Denzel Washington (The Tragedy of Macbeth). As a side note, Being the Ricardos also won Sorkin a nod for Best Screenplay-Motion Picture and a nom for Nicole Kidman for Best Actress-Motion Picture for her lead as Ball.

With Latinos shining in two film adaptations of Broadway musicals, it isn’t surprising to see other Latinos competing in additional Golden Globe categories. 

Ramos is a nominee for In the Heights in Best Actor-Motion Picture-Musical/Comedy. Set in New York’s largely Dominican community of Washington Heights, the musical is written by Quiara Alegría Hudes and Miranda and directed by Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians). Ramos’s competition includes Leonardo DiCaprio (Don’t Look Up), Peter Dinklage (Cyrano), Andrew Garfield (tick, tick…BOOM!), and Cooper Hoffman (Licorice Pizza).

For her part, Ariana DeBose is a candidate in Best Supporting Actress-Motion Picture for her role of Anita in West Side Story–that’s the role played by Rita Moreno in the 1961 musical feature that won her both a Golden Globe and an Oscar. The other candidates in DeBose’s category are Caitriona Balfe (Belfast), Kirsten Dunst (The Power of the Dog), Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard) and Ruth Negga (Passing).

Another two Latino actors vying for Golden Globes are Oscar Issac and Michaela Jaé Rodriguez.

Encanto (Credit: Disney)

Issac is nominated for Best Actor-Television Motion Picture for his role in HBO Max’s Scenes From a Marriage while Rodriguez got a nod for Best Television Actress-Drama Series for her role in FX’s Pose.

Two films with Latino connections compete in the Best Picture-Animated category. Disney’s Encanto is set in a fantastical Colombia and stars Stephanie Beatriz, María Cecilia Botero and John Leguizamo. The movie is directed by Jared Bush, Byron Howard and Charise Castro Smith, all of whom also share writing credits. The other film, Raya and the Last Dragon, is helmed by Mexican director Carlos López Estrada along with Don Hall and Paul Briggs

In the category of Best Picture-Non-English Language, the Spanish film Madres Paralelas by Pedro Almodóvar faces Compartment No. 6, a co-production of Germany, Russia and Finland; Drive My Car from Japan; The Hand of God, from Italy; and A Hero, a co-production of Iran and France. This is Almodóvar’s 11th Golden Globe nomination, winning on two occasions–for Pain and Glory in 2019 and All About My Mother in 1999.

Both Encanto and Madres Paralelas also earned a nomination for their respective film composers, Texas’ Germaine Franco and Spain’s Alberto Iglesias. Additionally, Encanto’s theme song “Dos Oruguitas” got a nod for Best Song Motion Picture. “Dos Oruguitas” is written by Miranda and performed by Colombian singer Sebastián Yatra.

The Golden Globes are presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. The 79th awards ceremony will be held Jan. 9.

(See complete list of nominees below the video)

Featured Photos: Javier Bardem (Photo: Carlos Delgado/Wikipedia), Rachel Zegler (Photo: Courtesy, self), Anthony Ramos (Photo: Courtesy, self)

GOLDEN GLOBES 2022
Complete list of nominees

Best Picture Drama
CyranoDon’t Look Up
Licorice Pizza
tick, tick…BOOM!
West Side Story

Best Picture – Musical/Comedy
Cyrano
Don’t Look Up
Licorice Pizza
tick, tick…BOOM!
West Side Story 

Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter
Nicole Kidman, Being the Ricardos
Lady Gaga, House of Gucci
Kristen Stewart, Spencer

Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Mahershala Ali, Swan Song
Javier Bardem, Being the Ricardos
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog 
Will Smith, King Richard
Denzel Washington, The Tragedy of Macbeth

Best Actress – Motion Picture – Musical/Comedy
Marion Cotillard, Annette
Alana Haim, Licorice Pizza
Jennifer Lawrence, Don’t Look Up
Emma Stone, Cruella
Rachel Zegler, West Side Story

Best Actor – Motion Picture – Musical/Comedy
Leonardo DiCaprio, Don’t Look Up
Peter Dinklage, Cyrano
Andrew Garfield, tick, tick…BOOM!
Cooper Hoffman, Licorice Pizza
Anthony Ramos, In the Heights

Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
Caitriona Balfe, Belfast
Ariana DeBose, West Side Story
Kirsten Dunst, The Power of the Dog
Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard
Ruth Negga, Passing

Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
Ben Affleck, The Tender Bar
Jamie Dornan, Belfast
Ciarán Hinds, Belfast
Troy Kotsur, CODA
Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog

Best Director Motion Picture
Kenneth Branagh, Belfast
Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog
Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Lost Daughter
Steven Spielberg, West Side Story 
Denis Villeneuve, Dune

Best Screenplay Motion Picture
Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza
Kenneth Branagh, Belfast
Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog 
Adam McKay, Don’t Look Up
Aaron Sorkin, Being the Ricardos

Best Picture – Animated
Encanto 
Flee
Luca
My Sunny Maad
Raya and the Last Dragon

Best Picture – Non-English Language (formerly Foreign Language)
Compartment No. 6, Germany, Russia and Finland
Drive My Car, Japan
The Hand of God, Italy
A Hero, Iran and France
Parallel Mothers, Spain

Best Score Motion Picture
Alexandre Desplat, The French Dispatch
Germaine Franco, Encanto
Jonny Greenwood, The Power of the Dog
Alberto Iglesias, Parallel Mothers
Hans Zimmer, Dune

Best Song Motion Picture
King Richard, “Be Alive”
Encanto, “Dos Oruguitas”
Belfast, “Down to Joy”
Respect, “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)”
No Time To Die, “No Time To Die”

Best Drama Series
Lupin
The Morning Show
Pose
Squid Game
Succession

Best Musical/Comedy Series
The Great
Hacks
Only Murders in the Building
Reservation Dogs
Ted Lasso

Best Television Motion Picture
Dopesick
Impeachment: American Crime Story
Maid
Mare of Easttown
The Underground Railroad

Best Actress – Television Motion Picture
Jessica Chastain, Scenes from a Marriage 
Cynthia Erivo, Genius: Aretha
Elizabeth Olsen, Wandavision
Margaret Qualley, Maid
Kate Winslet, Mare of Easttown

Best Actor – Television Motion Picture
Paul Bettany, Wandavision
Oscar Isaac, Scenes from a Marriage 
Michael Keaton, Dopesick
Ewan McGregor, Halston
Tahar Rahim, The Serpent

Best Television Actress – Drama Series
Uzo Aduba, In Treatment
Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
Christine Baranski, The Good Fight
Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale
Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Pose

Best Television Actor – Drama Series
Brian Cox, Succession
Lee Jung-jae, Squid Game
Billy Porter, Pose
Jeremy Strong, Succession
Omar Sy, Lupin

Best Television Actress – Musical/Comedy Series
Hannah Einbinder, Hacks
Elle Fanning, The Great 
Issa Rae, Insecure
Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish
Jean Smart, Hacks

Best Television Actor – Musical/Comedy Series
Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
Nicholas Hoult, The Great
Steve Martin, Only Murders in the Building
Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building
Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso

Best Supporting Actress – Television
Jennifer Coolidge, The White Lotus 
Kaitlyn Dever, Dopesick
Andie MacDowell, Maid
Sarah Snook, Succession
Hannah Waddingham, Ted Lasso

Best Supporting Actor – Television
Billy Crudup, The Morning Show 
Kieran Culkin, Succession
Mark Duplass, The Morning Show 
Brett Goldstein, Ted Lasso
O Yeong-su, Squid Game