Golden Globes 2025: A big win for diversity, Asian representation

Cosmo Jarvis, from left, Anna Sawai, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Tadanobu Asano pose in the press room with the award for best television series – drama for “Shogun” during the 82nd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – It was a golden night for Asian representation at the Globes on Sunday, January 5, as “Shogun” won the award for best TV drama series, with Anna Sawai, Hiroyuki Sanada and Tadanobu Asano taking home the Globe for their performances in the hit FX samurai series.

The series’ Golden Globe win follows its history-making triumph at the Emmys, with a record 18 Emmy trophies for a non-English language show last year.

At the 82nd Golden Globe Awards, “Shogun” beat out Peacock’s “The Day of the Jackal,” Netflix’s “The Diplomat,” “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” at Prime Video, Apple TV+’s “Slow Horses” and Netflix’s “Squid Game.”

Sawai won the Globe for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series for her role as Toda Mariko in “Shogun,” which is adapted from James Clavell’s 1975 best-selling historical novel of the same name.

“Thank you to the voters for voting for me, even though I would vote for Kathy Bates any day,” the New Zealand-born Japanese actress said in her acceptance speech. Bates was nominated in the same category for her starring role on CBS’ “Matlock.”

Sawai also thanked Shogun’s “incredible writers,” saying, “without a good script, it’s not possible to give a performance to our fullest full potential.”

Sanada, who bagged Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series for his role as Yoshii Toranaga, told Inquirer.net USA in a backstage interview that Shogun’s big win opens doors to better opportunities in Hollywood for Asian actors and filmmakers.

“The gates have swung open not only for Japan but also for other Asian countries,” he said.

Sanada said “Shogun,” a feudal Japan-set drama, is breaking the language barriers as 70 percent of the lines are delivered in Japanese by a largely Japanese cast.

In his acceptance speech, Sanada encouraged young actors and creators “to be yourself.”

“Believe in yourself and never give up,” he said.

Asano took home the Globe for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role on Television.

Another actress of Asian descent who shone at the 82nd annual ceremony was Ali Wong. She won the award for Best Stand-up Performance on TV for for “Ali Wong: Single Lady” beating out Jamie Foxx, Nikki Glaser, Seth Meyers, Adam Sandler and Ramy Youssef.

Ali Wong poses in the press room with the award for best performance in stand-up comedy on television for “Ali Wong: Single Lady” during the 82nd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Wong made history last year as the first Asian American to win a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Limited Series.

Also at the forefront of the night’s biggest awards was John Chu’s “Wicked,” winning the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement award.

In his acceptance speech, Chu said his immigrant parents “came to this country and loved the Wizard of Oz that tells the story about a yellow brick road and the place over the rainbow where all dreams come true if you dare to dream it.”

Jeff Goldblum, from left, Michelle Yeoh, Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Marc Platt, and Jon M. Chu pose with the award for cinematic and box office achievement for “Wicked” in the press room during the 82nd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Presenters at Sunday’s event included 2023 Golden Globe winners Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan.

Michelle Yeoh, from left, Ariana Grande, and Cynthia Erivo pose in the press room during the 82nd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Yeoh won the award for Best Performance by an Actress in a motion picture for her role as Evelyn Quan Wang in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

Quan won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in a Movie for his role as laundromat owner Waymond Wang, becoming the first actor of Asian descent in nearly 40 years to win in this category.

Ke Huy Quan poses in the press room with the award for best performance by an actor in a supporting role in any motion picture for “Everything Everywhere All at Once” at the 80th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

A big win for diversity

Spanish language, genre-bending trans musical “Emilia Perez” and postwar epic immigrant drama “The Brutalist” won top awards at the Golden Globes.

French director Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Perez” bagged four awards, including Best Comedy or Musical Film.

“The Brutalist” was named Best Drama and also won Best Director for Brady Corbet and Best Actor for Adrien Brody, who plays a Hungarian Holocaust survivor.

Adrien Brody poses in the press room with the award for best performance by a male actor in a motion picture – drama for “The Brutalist” during the 82nd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

“Emilia Pérez” won Best Film, Comedy or Musical and also won Best Supporting Actress for Zoe Saldaña, Best Song (“El Mal”) and Best Non-English Language Film.

“The light always wins over darkness,” said the film’s trans star Karla Sofia Gascón as she accepted the award.

Adriana Paz, from left, Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldana, winner of the award for best performance by a female actor in a supporting role in any motion picture for “Emilia Perez,” and Karla Sofia Gascon pose in the press room during the 82nd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Gascón plays a Mexican drug lord who undergoes gender affirming surgery. “You can maybe put us in jail. You can beat us up. But you never can take away our soul or existence or identity.”

Filipino voting members of the Golden Globe Awards

Award-winning journalist Janet R. Nepales, the first Filipina voting member and associate of the Golden Globe Awards, said she couldn’t help but be a proud Asian at the event, citing the wins of the Shogun cast and show, Ali Wong and Jon Chu’s Wicked.

“I just loved Jon Chu’s speech when he said, ‘When we discover that maybe the world isn’t exactly the way we thought it was, and maybe [we all have] a little bit of Elphaba inside of us … that maybe we have that courage and that strength not to give up but to rise. Take the road off the yellow brick road and maybe discover we can fly,’” said Nepales, who was elected to the Golden Globe Awards Advisory Board late last year.

From left: Omen Ortiz, Jennifer Lorenzana, Janet Nepales and Ruben Nepales. CONTRIBUTED

Nepales literally wore her Asian pride by donning noted Japanese designer Tadashi Shoji’s black one-shoulder velvet and chenille embroidered gown.

The velvet top is accented on the left shoulder with a structured velvet twist and an intricate leaf-patterned chenille bottom with nude lining.

“It was an unprecedented night of Asian representation,” said award-winning journalist Ruben Nepales, former chair of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), now renamed the Golden Globes.

“What were the odds of Hiroyuki Sanada, Anna Sawai, and Tadanobu Asano all winning their first Golden Globe honors for their respective roles in ‘Shogun?’ And to top it all, ‘Shogun’ itself romped off with the best television series – drama prize.”

Janet and Ruben Nepales with Hiroyuki Sanada/CONTRIBUTED

Nepales said he was also very proud of Ali Wong, who made history as the first woman to win the best performance in a stand-up comedy on television Globe for “Single Lady,” and Jon Chu, who capped the evening of minority representation when his film “Wicked” bagged the cinematic and box office achievement award.

“With other wins for international representation, including Brazil’s “Fernanda Torres,” it was quite a night!” said Nepales, who wore a blue silk brocade tux jacket by talented Filipino designer Francis Libiran.

“I have several sharp tux jackets by Pinoy designers that I have worn but are worth wearing again and again because they are classic yet with a contemporary touch – a compliment to our homegrown couturier,” he said.