Hollywood hoisted a white flag within the tradition battle on Sunday.
That summation of the 82nd Golden Globe Awards will undoubtedly worsen some individuals within the film capital. Us? Conceding the ethical excessive floor to President-elect Donald J. Trump and his supporters? By no means.
They may level — pretty — to the films that gained prizes on Sunday. “Emilia Perez,” honored with 4 Globes, is a Spanish-language musical about trans id. “The Brutalist,” which obtained three, is an epic about immigrant struggles. “Depraved,” which was given a newish award for finest blockbuster, is about prejudices and the corruption of energy.
However the Globes have by no means been about subtlety. The Globes are the place stars supposedly let it rip, the place they proselytize for progressive causes and considerations. Sunday’s present was Hollywood’s first megaphone since Mr. Trump was comfortably elected to a second time period. And this time, there was barely a peep about it.
In 2017, Meryl Streep tore into Mr. Trump from the Globes stage, firmly throwing down the gauntlet for a brand new sort of tradition battle. The following 12 months, the Globes grew to become a de facto rally for the Time’s Up motion, with dozens of actresses carrying black to protest sexual harassment and Oprah Winfrey delivering a barnburner of a speech. In 2020, Michelle Williams gave an impassioned plea for abortion rights, whereas Russell Crowe referred to as consideration to local weather change and a bush hearth disaster in Australia.
Black Lives Matter, the worldwide refugee disaster and veganism have all been touted from the Globes stage. In 2023, the Globes gave airtime to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, who gave a speech condemning Russia.
In the course of the official pink carpet preshow, hosts saved the dialog bordering on cotton sweet: You’re stunning, I’m stunning, the climate is gorgeous, every part is gorgeous. “It’s Sunday afternoon, and the solar is out,” Felicity Jones informed an interviewer. “There’s not so much to complain about.”
Throughout her monologue that opened the present, the comic Nikki Glaser gently teased the assembled celebrities for not having the ability to cease Mr. Trump from returning to workplace. “It’s OK,” she stated. “You’ll get ’em subsequent time — if there’s one.” She smiled and added, “I’m scared,” earlier than altering the topic to Ben Affleck’s intercourse life.
The one different political commentary of observe got here three hours later, when “Emilia Pérez” gained the Globe for finest musical or comedy. The movie’s star, Karla Sofía Gascón, used the second to talk for trans rights. “You possibly can beat us up,” she stated. “However you by no means can take away our soul.”
“Elevate your voice,” she added.
Perhaps the shortage of politics in Sunday’s present shouldn’t come as a lot of a shock. Lots of those that oppose Mr. Trump nonetheless appear to be checking out the way to push again towards him and his administration. And there has even been a delicate drift to the best by Hollywood, to clean a few of the most progressive edges off some reveals and choose extra motion pictures that talk to Mr. Trump’s base.
Forward of the Globes, some publicists and brokers suggested purchasers to maintain quiet about Mr. Trump and pointed to Rachel Zegler as a cautionary instance. After the election in November, Ms. Zegler, the younger star of Disney’s coming live-action “Snow White,” harshly decried Mr. Trump and his supporters in a social media publish. The MAGA blowback was extreme, and Ms. Zegler was forced to apologize.
And for the individuals behind the Globes, the silence was in all probability welcome. Producers who specialise in awards telecasts say analysis, compiled primarily from Nielsen, signifies that viewers dislike it when celebrities flip a visit to the stage right into a political bully pulpit. Minute-by-minute viewership evaluation signifies that “huge swaths” of individuals flip off televisions when celebrities begin to opine on politics.
It recalled a time, a long time in the past, when stars labored at being stars, turning on the attraction and saying nothing that may alienate a single ticket purchaser. The message got here by way of loud and clear.