Jane Fonda accepted a prestigious lifetime achievement award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, at the Golden Globes on Sunday night.
The legendary actress, 83, used her acceptance speech to issue a powerful plea to Hollywood to acknowledge the ’emerging diversity’ of the industry.
She centered her speech around the importance of storytelling, praising major film releases of the past year, before calling for better representation in the industry so that everyone’s story is ‘seen and heard’.
Icon: Jane Fonda accepted a prestigious lifetime achievement award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, at the Golden Globes on Sunday night and called for Hollywood to acknowledge ’emerging diversity’
The longtime activist made a thinly veiled reference to the lack of diversity in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
The group has attracted a wave of criticism this week as it was recently revealed by the Los Angeles Times that none of the association’s 87 members were Black.
In her speech, she said the industry needs to make an effort to expand ‘the groups that decide… who wins awards’.
Honoured: The legendary actress, 83, used her acceptance speech to issue a powerful plea to Hollywood to acknowledge the ’emerging diversity’ of the industry
Stylish: She centered her speech around the importance of storytelling, praising major film releases of the past year, before calling for better representation in the industry so that everyone’s story is ‘seen and heard’
She said: ‘But there’s a story we’ve been afraid to see and hear about ourselves in this industry. A story about which voices we respect and elevate – and which we tune out.
‘A story about who’s offered a seat at the table and who is kept out of the rooms where decisions are made.
‘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.’
Plea: The longtime activist made a thinly veiled reference to the lack of diversity in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association
Diversity: In her speech, she said the industry needs to make an effort to expand ‘the groups that decide… who wins awards’
The Grace and Frankie actress referenced the hit BBC show I May Destroy You in her speech, after it was snubbed in the Golden Globes nominations list.
She said: ‘I May Destroy You’ has taught me to consider sexual violence in a whole new way.’
The 12-part series follows London-based writer Arabella as she comes to terms with a sexual assault after her drink was spiked at a nightclub, and was one of the summer’s most critically-acclaimed shows around the world when it aired on BBC One and HBO.
Snub: The Grace and Frankie actress also referenced the hit BBC show I May Destroy You in her speech, after it was snubbed in the Golden Globes nominations list saying it taught her to consider sexual violence ‘in a whole new way’
Jane concluded her speech calling for better leadership in order for Hollywood to lead the way in promoting diversity.
She said: ‘I mean, doing this simply means acknowledging what’s true.
‘Being in step with the emerging diversity that’s happening because of all those who marched and fought in the past and those who’ve picked up the baton today.
‘After all, art has always been not just in step with history, but has led the way.
‘So, let’s be leaders, OK?’
Leaders: Jane concluded her speech calling for better leadership in order for Hollywood to lead the way in promoting diversity saying: ‘After all, art has always been not just in step with history, but has led the way’
Jane Fonda’s Cecil B. DeMille Award acceptance speech in full
‘Thank you all the members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. I’m — I’m so moved to receive this honor. Thank you.
‘You know, we are a community of storytellers, aren’t we? And in turbulent, crisis-torn times like these, storytelling has always been essential.
‘You see, stories have a way to… they can change our hearts and our minds. They can help us see each other in a new light. To have empathy. To recognize that, for all our diversity, we are humans first, right?
Speech: Jane Fonda accepts the Cecil B. DeMille Award onstage at the 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards
‘You know, I’ve seen a lot of diversity in my long life and at times I’ve been challenged to understand some of the people I’ve met.
‘But inevitably, if my heart is open, and I look beneath the surface, I feel kinship.
‘That’s why all of the great conduits of perception – Buddha, Mohammed, Jesus, Laotzi – all of them spoke to us in stories and poetry and metaphor.
‘Because the nonlinear, non-cerebral forms that are art, speak on a different frequency.
‘They generate a new energy that can jolt us open and penetrate our defenses so that we can see and hear what we may have been afraid of seeing and hearing.
‘Just this year, ‘Nomadland’ helped me feel love for the wanderers among us. And ‘Minari’ opened my eyes to the experience of immigrants dealing with the realities of life in a new land.
‘And ‘Judas and the Black Messiah,’ ‘Small Acts,’ ‘US vs. Billie Holiday,’ ‘Ma Rainey,’ ‘One Night in Miami’ and others have deepened my empathy for what being Black has meant.
‘Ramy’ helped me feel what it means to be Muslim American.
‘I May Destroy You’ has taught me to consider sexual violence in a whole new way.
‘The documentary ‘All In’ reminds us how fragile our democracy is and inspires us to fight to preserve it.
‘And ‘A Life on Our Planet’ shows us how fragile our small blue planet is and inspires us to save it and ourselves.
‘Stories: They really, they really can change people.
‘But there’s a story we’ve been afraid to see and hear about ourselves in this industry. A story about which voices we respect and elevate – and which we tune out.
‘A story about who’s offered a seat at the table and who is kept out of the rooms where decisions are made.
‘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. So that everyone rises and everyone’s story has a chance to be seen and heard.
‘I mean, doing this simply means acknowledging what’s true. Being in step with the emerging diversity that’s happening because of all those who marched and fought in the past and those who’ve picked up the baton today.
‘After all, art has always been not just in step with history, but has led the way.
‘So, let’s be leaders, OK?
‘Thank you, thank you so much.’
Jane looked incredible as she arrived at the Golden Globes in Beverly Hills to receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award for her lifetime of achievement.
The iconic star, 83, showed up in a tailored white pantsuit and a pair of silver heels that she pulled from her closet and still managed to win the style stakes.
Fonda had explained in an interview with daytime chat show host Ellen DeGeneres last week that she had decided to embrace her real hair colour.
Legendary: She’s stopped coloring her hair and she’s recycling her outfits – and on Sunday, Jane Fonda looked incredible as she arrived at the Golden Globes in Beverly Hills
‘I tell you, I’m so happy I let it go gray,’ she said.
‘Enough already with so much time wasted, so much money spent, so many chemicals – I’m through with that,’ she added.
As for her fashion choice, it was a result of her pledge in 2019 to not buy any more new clothes as part of her commitment to raising awareness of climate change.
Fabulous: The Hollywood star showed up in a tailored white pantsuit and a pair of silver heels that she pulled from her closet and still managed to win the style stakes
Natural look: Fonda explained in an interview with Ellen DeGeneres last week that she had decided to embrace her real hair color. ‘I tell you, I’m so happy I let it go gray,’ she said
She previously recycled an outfit when she attended the 2020 Academy Awards.
Fonda told DeGeneres: ‘We spend too much money, we buy too many things, and then we get rid of them. We try to develop our identity by shopping, right? We gotta stop that – stop all this consumerism.’
She explained that for the Golden Globes, she ‘had to go through my closet and find out something that still fit me and I have worn before, And I found something. I’m all set.’
No more waste: As for her fashion choice, it was a result of her pledge in 2019 to not buy any more new clothes as part of her commitment to raising awareness of climate change
Fonda shared a behind-the-scenes look as she watched the live telecast on a screen backstage that also had a large camera attached for her Zoom appearance
This year’s Golden Globes ceremony, which usually takes place in early January, was pushed back to February 28 as Hollywood continues to adjust to the coronavirus pandemic and new safety guidelines.
Amy Poehler and Tina Fey returned to host for the fourth time and for the first time, the Globes are being broadcast from two separate coasts.
Fey, 50, is broadcasting from atop New York City’s Rockefeller Center in the Rainbow Room and Poehler, 49, in Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where the ceremony is usually held annually.
Nominees will be tuning into the ceremony remotely but presenters have been asked to appear in person.
Two venues: For the first time, the Globes will be broadcast from two separate coasts. Tina Fey is broadcasting from New York City’s Rockefeller Center and Amy Poehler from Beverly Hills at the Beverly Hilton Hotel (pictured) where the ceremony is usually held annually
Trophy: The Golden Globe Awards are handed out to movies and television nominees by the 87-member Hollywood Foreign Press Association
The impressive list of presenters this year includes; Awkwafina, Cynthia Erivo, Annie Mumolo, Joaquin Phoenix, Kristen Wiig and Renee Zellweger, Kevin Bacon, Sterling K. Brown, Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Margot Robbie, Tiffany Haddish, Anthony Anderson, Kate Hudson and Kenan Thompson.
Satchel and Jackson Lee, children of three-time Golden Globe nominated filmmaker Spike Lee and producer/philanthropist Tonya Lewis Lee, are serving as the 2021 Golden Globe Ambassadors.
Norman Lear will be honored with the Carol Burnett Award, a counterpart to the DeMille Award that focuses on life achievement in television. The writer, director and producer is a six-time Golden Globe winner.
Last year’s 77th Golden Globes, hosted by Ricky Gervais, averaged 19.2 million viewers, making it one of the most-watched network telecasts of 2020.
GOLDEN GLOBES 2021: THE WINNERS
MOVIES
Best Motion Picture, Drama
The Father
Mank
Nomadland – WINNER
Promising Young Woman
The Trial of the Chicago 7
On the road again: Nomadland won the top honor in film Best Motion Picture, Drama
Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm – WINNER
Hamilton
Music
Palm Springs
The Prom
Best Director
Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman
David Fincher – Mank
Regina King – One Night in Miami
Aaron Sorkin – The Trial of the Chicago 7
Chloé Zhao – Nomadland – WINNER
Trailblazing: Chloe Zhao became just the second woman to win for directing in 78 years
Best Screenplay
Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman
Jack Fincher – Mank
Christopher Hampton, Florian Zeller – The Father
Aaron Sorkin – The Trial of the Chicago 7 – WINNER
Chloé Zhao – Nomadland
Best Foreign Language Picture
Another Round
La Llorona
The Life Ahead
Minari – WINNER
Two of Us
Best Animated Picture
The Croods: A New Age
Onward
Over the Moon
Soul – WINNER
Wolfwalkers
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama
Viola Davis – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Andra Day – The United States vs Billie Holiday – WINNER
Vanessa Kirby – Pieces of a Woman
Frances McDormand – Nomadland
Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman
Big moment: Andra Day was the surprise winner in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama category
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
Riz Ahmed – Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – WINNER
Anthony Hopkins – The Father
Gary Oldman – Mank
Tahar Rahim – The Mauritanian
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Kate Hudson – Music
Michelle Pfeiffer – French Exit
Rosamund Pike – I Care a Lot – WINNER
Anya Taylor-Joy – Emma
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
Sacha Baron Cohen – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm – WINNER
James Corden – The Prom
Lin-Manuel Miranda – Hamilton
Dev Patel – The Personal History of David Copperfield
Andy Samberg – Palm Springs
Winner! Sacha Baron Cohen’s politically-charged sequel Borat Subsequent Moviefilm earned two awards
Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Glenn Close – Hilbilly Elegy
Jodie Foster – The Mauritanian – WINNER
Olivia Colman – The Father
Amanda Seyfried – Mank
Helena Zengel – News of the World
Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Sacha Baron Cohen – The Trial of the Chicago 7
Daniel Kaluuya – Judas and the Black Messiah – WINNER
Jared Leto – The Little Things
Bill Murray – On the Rocks
Leslie Odom Jr – One Night in Miami
Best Original Score in a Motion Picture
The Midnight Sky
Tenet
News of the World
Mank
Soul – WINNER
Best Original Song in a Motion Picture
Judas and the Black Messiah
The Life Ahead – WINNER
One Night in Miami
The Trial of the Chicago 7
The United States vs Billie Holiday
TELEVISION
Best Television Series, Drama
The Crown – WINNER
Lovecraft Country
The Mandalorian
Ozark
Ratched
Triumphant: The Crown nearly swept all of the dramatic television categories including Best Television Series, Drama as creator Peter Morgan accepted the award
Best Television Series, Comedy or Musical
Emily in Paris
The Flight Attendant
The Great
Schitt’s Creek – WINNER
Ted Lasso
Best Limited Series, Anthology or TV Movie
Normal People
The Queen’s Gambit – WINNER
Small Axe
The Undoing
Unorthodox
Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series, Drama
Olivia Colman – The Crown
Jodie Comer – Killing Eve
Emma Corrin – The Crown – WINNER
Laura Linney – Ozark
Sarah Paulson – Ratched
Crowning achievement: Emma Corrin beat out her The Crown co-star Olivia Colman (Queen Elizabeth II) in the Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series, Drama category
Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series, Drama
Jason Bateman – Ozark
Josh O’Connor – The Crown – WINNER
Bob Odenkirk – Better Call Saul
Al Pacino – Hunters
Matthew Rhys– Perry Mason
Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series, Comedy or Musical
Lily Collins – Emily in Paris
Kaley Cuoco – The Flight Attendant
Elle Fanning – The Great
Jane Levy – Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
Catherine O’Hara – Schitt’s Creek – WINNER
Legend: Catherine O’Hara earned the win in the Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series, Comedy or Musical for her role in Schitt’s Creek
Best Performance by an Actor in a TV series, Comedy or Musical
Don Cheadle – Black Monday
Nicholas Hoult – The Great
Eugene Levy – Schitt’s Creek
Jason Sudeikis – Ted Lasso – WINNER
Ramy Youssef – Ramy
Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series, Anthology or TV Movie
Cate Blanchett – Mrs America
Daisy Edgar-Jones – Normal People
Shira Haas – Unorthodox
Nicole Kidman – The Undoing
Anya Taylor-Joy – The Queen’s Gambit – WINNER
Checkmate: It was also a big night for Anya Taylor-Joy as she won Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series, Anthology or TV Movie for The Queen’s Gambit
Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology or TV Movie
Bryan Cranston – Your Honour
Jeff Daniels – The Comey Rule
Hugh Grant – The Undoing
Ethan Hawke – The Good Lord Bird
Mark Ruffalo – I Know This Much Is True – WINNER
Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series
Gillian Anderson – The Crown – WINNER
Helena Bonham Carter – The Crown
Julia Garner – Ozark
Annie Murphy – Schitt’s Creek
Cynthia Nixon – Ratched
Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series
John Boyega – Small Axe, “Red, White and Blue” – WINNER
Daniel Levy – Schitt’s Creek
Brendan Gleeson – The Comey Rule
Jim Parsons – Hollywood
Donald Sutherland – The Undoing
No axe to grind: The second award of the night went to John Boyega in the Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series category for his role in Small Axe “Red, White and Blue”