Closing The Gap

Female Golden Globe winners vow to fight for equity, implore women to 'find personal fulfillment'

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Sandra Oh attends the 76th Annual Golden Globe Awards - Press Room at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 6, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California.
Photo by David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

Between pledges to help achieve gender equity and calls for women to find personal purpose, women Golden Globe winners stole the show on Sunday night.

Striking moments included Glenn Closes' emotional call for women to seek "personal fulfillment," Regina King's pledge to hire "50 percent" women in her future productions and Carol Burnett's recognition for a lifetime achievement award named after her.

Here are some of last night's highlights:

Glenn Close: Best Actress in a Drama

Glenn Close, winner of Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama for 'The Wife,' attends the official viewing and after party of The Golden Globe Awards.
Photo by Rachel Luna/Getty Images

Glenn Close won her third Golden Globe on Sunday. It was a major upset, since the award was widely expected to go to Lady Gaga for her performance in "A Star is Born."

Close, who seemed shocked when her name was called, won best actress in a drama for her portrayal of Joan Castleman in "The Wife." In an emotional speech that earned a standing ovation from audience members, Close said it took over a decade to bring the movie to the screen.

"You know, it was called 'The Wife.' I think that's why it took 14 years to get made," she said.

She said role made her think of her mother, and implored women to seek out "personal fulfillment."

"To play a character is so internal. And I'm thinking of my mom who really sublimated herself to my father her whole life and in her 80s she said to me, 'I feel I haven't accomplished anything.' And it was so not right and I feel what I've learned through this whole experience is that, you know, women, we are nurturers, that's what's expected of us. We have our children. We have our husbands if we are lucky enough, and our partners, whoever," she said.

"But we have to find personal fulfillment. We have to follow our dreams. We have to say, 'I can do that and I should be allowed to do that.'"

Sandra Oh: Best Actress in a TV Drama

Sandra Oh attends the 76th Annual Golden Globe Awards - Press Room at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 6, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California.
Photo by David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

Sandra Oh won best actress in a TV drama for her role in the BBC series "Killing Eve," becoming the first Asian woman to win in that category in nearly 40 years (the first was Yoko Shimada in 1980 for "Shogun.") Oh was also the first Asian woman to host the Golden Globes.

During the opening monologue, Oh pointed out the diversity of this year's entertainment, which featured hits like "Crazy Rich Asians" and "Black Panther."

"I said 'yes' to the fear of being on this stage tonight because I wanted to be here to look out into this audience and witness this moment of change," she said. "But right now, this moment is real."

Regina King: Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture

Regina King attends the InStyle And Warner Bros. Golden Globes After Party 2019 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 6, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California.
Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images

In her first Golden Globe win, Regina King took home the best supporting actress in a motion picture award for her role in "If Beale Street Could Talk."

King focused her speech on closing Hollywood's gender gap, and pledged to hire "50 percent" women for all the projects she produces over the next two years.

"I just want to say that I'm going to use my platform right now to say that in the next two years everything I produce — I'm making a vow, and it's going to be tough, to make sure everything I produce is 50 percent women," King said. "And I challenge anyone that's out there, who is in a position of power, not just in our industry, all industries, I challenge you to challenge yourselves and stand with us in solidarity and do the same."

Talent agency ICM Partners made the same pledge in December 2017, vowing to hire and promote women so that they make up half of its staff by 2020.

King said it's critical for celebrities to use their influence to address "systemic" issues in society, "because we understand that our microphones are big and we are speaking for everyone."

Carol Burnett: inaugural Carol Burnett Award

Carol Burnett attends the 76th Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 6, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California.
Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Carol Burnett won a new Golden Globe award named in her honor — the Carol Burnett Award, given for lifetime achievement in television.

Burnett reflected on the opportunities that were available to her when she began her variety show, "The Carol Burnett Show," in 1967. It ran for 11 years and earned 25 Emmys.

"What fascinated me was the way the stars on the screen could make people laugh or cry or sometimes both," she said. "And I wished and I hoped that maybe, just maybe, some day, I could have the chance to do the same thing. Well, those childhood dreams came true."

She also said the show couldn't be done today, as "the cost alone would be prohibitive." Burnett said other variety shows during that time "could never see the light of day today because the networks just wouldn't spend the money."

"They are not going to take a chance," she said. "It's sad to say today's audiences might never know what they are missing."

"I'm just happy that our show happened when it did, and that I can look back and say once more — 'I am so glad we had this time together.'"

Patricia Clarkson: Best Supporting Actress, Limited Series

Patricia Clarkson attends FIJI Water at the 76th Annual Golden Globe Awards Celebration.
Photo by Gabriel Olsen/Getty Images for FIJI Water

Patricia Clarkson took home her first Golden Globe award for Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series for her work in HBO's "Sharp Objects."

In her speech, she thanked her director, Jean-Marc Vallée.

"You demanded everything of me — except sex, which is exactly how it should be in our industry," she said, to applause.

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