Women of Substance: The Actresses Who Won Hearts at the Golden Globes Awards

바카라�I바카라�ll just leave you with one thing that I think this movie is imparting: In those moments when we don바카라�t think we바카라�re smart enough or pretty enough, or skinny enough or sucessful enough, or basically just not enough. I had a woman say to me 바카라�Just know, you will never be enough. But you can know the value of your worth if you just put down the measuring stick바카라�바카라�This is how Hollywood actress Demi Moore accepted her Golden Globes award in the 바카라�Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy바카라� category at the 82^nd Golden Globes Awards on January 5, 2025. Moore, who made her acting debut in 1981, said that this was the first time that she had won an award for her performance in 45 years. Recounting a comment made to her by a producer 30 years ago, Moore said that she was called a 바카라�popcorn actress바카라�. She stated how she had internalised the remark to the point that it made her believe that she didn바카라�t deserve any acknowledgement for what she did, irrespective of her fame and success. In many ways, her very personal and moving acceptance speech echoed the overarching sentiments of The Substance (2024), for which she bagged the trophy. The film, directed by Coralie Fargeat, is from the body horror genre and is a commentary on the unrealistic standards of beauty and ageing that are set for women by the society.

The lineup of films, which were nominated for various awards at the ceremony, reflected that 2024 was a year of stimulating and dynamic performances by women from across the world. Fernanda Torres, the Brazilian actress who won in the 바카라�Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama바카라� category, acknowledged this humbly in her acceptance speech. 바카라�This is such an amazing year for female performances...so many actresses here that I admire so much,바카라�said Torres, while accepting her award. Torres was competing with her performance in the Portuguese film I바카라�m Still Here (2024), against the likes of Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman, Tilda Swinton, Pamela Anderson and Kate Winslet. Directed by Brazilian director Walter Salles, I바카라�m Still Here is a political biographical drama on Eunice Paiva, played by Torres바카라�an activist, who deals with the enforced disappearance of her husband, Rubens Paiva, a politician who opposed the military dictatorship in Brazil in 1964.

Since the last few years, the Golden Globes Awards ceremony has stood out as a witness to powerful speeches by the actresses who have been awarded for their distinctive performances. Last year, it was Lily Gladstone바카라�s speech after receiving the award for the 바카라�Best Performance in Drama바카라� category. Gladstone바카라�who is of Piegan Blackfeet, Nez Perce and European origin바카라�became the first indigenous actor to win the award and was given a standing ovation by the audience at the ceremony. She was awarded for her role as Mollie Burkhart, a member of the Osage Nation, in Martin Scorsese바카라�s epic crime drama, 바카라�Killers of the Flower Moon바카라� (2023). The film was premised on a series of murders of Osage members in Oklahoma in 1920, after oil is discovered on their land. She credited her Blackfeet community and nation, 바카라�all her beautiful sisters in the film바카라� as well as her mother for her achievement. 바카라�I바카라�m so grateful that I can speak even a little bit of my language, which I바카라�m not fluent in, up here. Because in this business, Native actors used to speak their lines in English and then the sound mixers would run them backwards to accomplish Native languages on camera,바카라� Gladstone said. She dedicated her award to 바카라�every little rez kid, every little urban kid, every little Native kid out there who has a dream,바카라� and explained that her victory is shared by those, 바카라�who are seeing themselves represented and our stories told by ourselves in our own words, with tremendous allies and tremendous trust with and from each other.바카라�

In 2023, Michelle Yeoh took the ceremony by storm, when she won in the same category as Moore for her performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) as Evelyn Quan Wang. Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the film was a hat tip to Asian directors and film genres, and was based on the story of a Chinese American immigrant who is out to save the multiverse from destruction while being hounded by the IRS. Having started her film career in 1984, Yeoh took a moment to 바카라�take it all in바카라� when she received her award. 바카라�40 years바카라�not letting go of this!바카라� she said, with her trophy in hand. 바카라�I remember when I first came to Hollywood, it was a dream come true, until I got here,바카라� she recalled and laughed. 바카라�Because바카라�look at this face바카라�I came here and was told, 바카라�You are a minority바카라�, and I바카라�m like no, that바카라�s not possible. And then, someone said to me, 바카라�You speak English!바카라� I mean, forget about them not knowing Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Asia, India바카라�And then I said, Ya, the flight here was about 13 hours long so I learnt on the way!바카라� she said. 바카라�As time went by바카라�I turned 60 last year바카라�and I think, all of you women understand, as the days, the years and the numbers get bigger, it seems like opportunities start to get smaller as well,바카라� said Yeoh. In the middle of her speech, she also asked the Award ceremony producers to 바카라�Shut up바카라�, when the orchestra tried to cut her off mid-way through her speech. 바카라�I can beat you up바카라�and that바카라�s serious!바카라� she jokingly remarked.

The speeches of these actresses, over the years, are testimony to the inherent exclusion, racism and patriarchy embedded within Hollywood바카라�one of the most powerful film industries in the world. The kind of performances being recognized by award ceremonies such as Golden Globes in the recent past, however, indicate a very subtle shift taking place in the perception of what qualifies as an 바카라�achievement바카라� for such institutions. While remedying the deeply ingrained biases in the industrial structure may take a long time, perhaps this shift, brought about by such vibrant and diverse women performers, is a small step towards a more inclusive cinema as well as industry.