it’s a bittersweet feeling as we near the half-way point of tiff50. but we are thrilled that we finally get a chance to see some films, which is always what has made this festival so special for us! make no mistake though, there are still some very notable names in-town!
some day six sightings:
•shu qi (pronounced “shoo chee”) at tiff for girl
•rebecca zlotowski and jodie foster at tiff for a private life
•colin farrell and fala chen at tiff for ballad of a small player
•plus a day four flashback with matt johnson and jay mccarrol of nirvanna the band the show the movie
highlights here:
(photo/video credit: mr. will wong)
Cameron Bailey, CEO, TIFF, is delighted to announce the first group of honourees of the seventh annual TIFF Tribute Awards, celebrating outstanding contributions to cinema and serving as the kick-off to awards season. Academy Award–winning Mexican-born filmmaker Guillermo del Toro will receive the TIFF Ebert Director Award, two-time Academy Award winner and boundary-defying artist Jodie Foster will receive the TIFF Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award, award-winning Japanese writer, director, and producer HIKARI will receive the TIFF Emerging Talent Award; and award-winning South Korean actor Lee Byung Hun is the recipient of a TIFF Special Tribute Award, attending TIFF this year with the North American Gala premiere of Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice. Academy Award–winning actor and 2022 Tribute Performer Award recipient Brendan Fraser will return to the Tribute Awards as the 2025 Honorary Chair. The seventh annual TIFF Tribute Awards will take place on Sunday, September 7, at Fairmont Royal York Hotel.
“We’re thrilled to announce this year’s recipients, each of whom has left an indelible mark on the cinematic landscape: from the commanding talent of Lee Byung Hun; the visionary imagination of maestro Guillermo del Toro; the evocative storytelling of HIKARI; to the incomparable career of actor, filmmaker, and icon Jodie Foster. We’re honoured to welcome these exceptional artists to Toronto for the seventh annual Tribute Awards,” said Bailey. “We’re also delighted to welcome back Brendan Fraser, our 2022 Tribute Performer Award recipient, as this year’s Honorary Chair, a beloved artist and past honouree whose warmth, generosity, and passion for storytelling truly embody the spirit of our Festival.”
“I’m honoured to return to Toronto once again and to the TIFF Tribute Awards, this time not as a recipient, but as this year’s Honorary Chair,” said Fraser. “TIFF has been meaningful to me and to be in this role during the Festival’s landmark 50th edition is a privilege. TIFF continues to champion the kind of bold storytelling that brings people together, and I’m thrilled to celebrate this year’s Tribute recipients.”
The TIFF Tribute Awards gala is TIFF’s largest annual fundraiser and a world-class celebration of cinematic excellence. Proceeds support TIFF’s 50th anniversary campaign, Transform Together, advancing TIFF’s talent development, honouring visionary artists, and deepening community impact. Presented in partnership with Rolex, with support from RBC, Don Julio, and Fairmont Royal York.
2025 TIFF Tribute Awards Honourees
Guillermo del Toro — TIFF Ebert Director Award, presented by The Tory Family
Guillermo del Toro is attending the Festival with a Gala Presentation of his anticipated live-action feature, Frankenstein. His relationship with TIFF started with his debut feature Cronos (TIFF ’93) and continued throughout the years with Mimic (TIFF ’97), The Devil’s Backbone (TIFF ’01), Pan’s Labyrinth (TIFF ’06), and his People’s Choice Award–winning The Shape of Water (TIFF ’17), which was nominated for 13 Academy Awards and won four, including Best Picture and Best Director. Demonstrating his ongoing commitment to Canadian cinema, del Toro curated a TIFF Cinematheque series celebrating Canadian horror earlier this month and was recently honoured with a ceremonial key to the City of Toronto. Named after legendary film critic Roger Ebert, the honour previously known as the Golden Thumb Award has gone to celebrated visionaries such as Martin Scorsese, Claire Denis, Ava DuVernay, Wim Wenders, and the late Agnès Varda. Becoming part of the Tribute event in 2019, past recipients include Mike Leigh (2024), Spike Lee (2023), Sam Mendes (2022), Denis Villeneuve (2021), Chloé Zhao (2020), and Taika Waititi (2019).
Jodie Foster – TIFF Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award, presented by Joanna Griffiths and the Women of Knix
In a career spanning over 50 years, Jodie Foster is one of the most critically acclaimed actresses of her generation. Her powerful performance in Nyad, which earned her a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the Academy Awards, had its World Premiere at TIFF ’23. She now makes her return to the Festival (following The Brave One at TIFF ’07) with Rebecca Zlotowski’s Private Life, a French psychological mystery in which she plays a therapist. A groundbreaker both on and off the screen, Foster has not only built a legacy of complex, powerful performances, including her Oscar-winning roles in The Accused and The Silence of the Lambs, but has also championed women filmmakers throughout her directing career, with films like Little Man Tate and Home for the Holidays, among others. The TIFF Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award is presented by Joanna Griffiths and the Women of Knix; and is inspired by TIFF’s Share Her Journey initiative, created to address gender parity in the film industry, to champion women at every stage of their creative journey, and to shine a spotlight on women creators making a significant difference in the industry. Past recipients are Cate Blanchett (2024), Patricia Arquette (2023), and Michelle Yeoh (2022).
HIKARI — TIFF Emerging Talent Award, presented by Amazon MGM Studios
Writer, director, and producer HIKARI makes her second appearance at TIFF with the World Premiere of her sophomore feature Rental Family, starring Tribute chair Brendan Fraser. Her debut feature 37 Seconds (TIFF ’19) received the Panorama Audience Award and the CICAE Award at the 69th Berlinale, among other international accolades. Having directed for both film and television, her recent credits include Beef and Tokyo Vice. Presented by Amazon MGM Studios, this award is in the spirit of Torontonian Mary Pickford, the groundbreaking actor, producer, and co-founder of United Artists, whose impact continues today. Past recipients include Durga Chew-Bose (2024), Carolina Markowicz (2023), Sally El Hosaini (2022), Danis Goulet (2021), Tracey Deer (2020), and Mati Diop (2019).
Lee Byung Hun — TIFF Special Tribute Award
A global sensation, Lee Byung Hun has achieved massive success across film and television in both South Korea and Hollywood. Before breaking out internationally, he starred in Joint Security Area and A Bittersweet Life, and went on to Korean blockbusters and global hits like Squid Game, G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra, Red 2, Terminator Genisys, and The Magnificent Seven. This is Byung Hun’s second appearance at TIFF and his second collaboration with Park Chan-wook. He was last in Toronto for the premiere of Concrete Utopia (TIFF ’23) and participated in an In Conversation with… series. This award is presented to an individual who has made an extraordinary and unique contribution to the world of film, leaving a lasting legacy through their dedication and artistry. Previous recipients include Zhao Tao (2024), Andy Lau (2023), Dionne Warwick (2021), and David Foster (2019).
Brendan Fraser — TIFF Honorary Chair
Brendan Fraser’s nuanced performances and compelling role choices have earned him widespread acclaim. He starred in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale (TIFF ’22) and garnered multiple honours, including an Academy Award for Best Actor, a Critics’ Choice Movie Award, and a SAG Award. In HIKARI’s Rental Family, Fraser plays a man hired by a company that provides rental family services, where people are employed to act as stand-ins for friends or relatives. Fraser will next appear in Anthony Maras’ Pressure, portraying Dwight D. Eisenhower, and in 2026, he’ll lend his voice to Tubi’s adult animated comedy Breaking Bear. His other recent work includes Steven Soderbergh’s No Sudden Move, Doom Patrol, Line of Descent, The Secret of Karma, The Poison Rose, Trust, and Condor. Additional credits include Brothers, Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, The Affair, and The Field, among many others.
Film Announcement
TIFF will present the North American Premiere of Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice, in which Byung Hun stars, as part of the Gala Presentations programme:
No Other Choice | Park Chan-wook | South Korea | Elevation Pictures
North American Premiere | Gala
New this year, Rolex has signed on as the exclusive Presenting Partner of the 2025 TIFF Tribute Awards. RBC, one of TIFF’s long-time Major Sponsors, is a new Supporting Partner. Don Julio and Fairmont Royal York are returning once again as Supporting Partners.
Rolex in Cinema
Rolex celebrates human achievement, recognizing the journey marked by milestones and emotions that culminate in defining moments, determined by a path followed, not just an award. For more than half a century, Rolex has partnered with some of the world’s most talented artists and leading cultural institutions to celebrate excellence and promote the transfer of artistic heritage, creating a link between the past, present, and future. Through the Rolex Perpetual Arts Initiative, a broad portfolio of arts that extends through architecture, cinema, dance, literature, music, theatre, and visual arts, the company confirms its long-term commitment to global culture. In all these endeavours, Rolex supports distinction in the arts and the transmission of knowledge to future generations, who in turn pass on the world’s cultural legacy.
The 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, presented by Rogers, runs September 4–14, 2025. Stay tuned for more TIFF announcements.
By Mr. Will Wong
In many ways, Annette Bening‘s long overdue recognition mirrors that of the subject she plays, Diana Nyad in NYAD. In 2013, after multiple failed attempts, she became the first person ever to swim from Cuba to Key West, without a cage to protect her from sharks. And Diana did this at the age of 64 above this.
Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin co-direct this Biopic which recounts Diana‘s painstaking journey to overcome the odds, and also her relationships with those around her who helped make it happen. We meet her best friend and trainer Bonnie (Jodie Foster) and navigator John (Rhys Ifans) who also are pushed to the limits, putting aside their lives to help Diana accomplish her impossible goal.
Cinematography by Claudio Miranda is magnificent, capturing the hypnotic beauty and also deadly dangers of the waters on which Diana and crew must tread to reach their destination. This, paired with a Soundtrack that is deeply personal to her, helping immerse us into our subject’s world, told both through flashbacks and in linear fashion in the timeframe Diana decides to embark her journey once again. The Film explores the price of ambition and the trickle effects of this
NYAD is immensely uplifting and perhaps the Movie that many of us need right now. Bening has never been better and is so convincing, nailing the physicality, vulnerability and strength that define Diana Nyad. Foster‘s Bonnie is that one BFF we all need in our lives, turning in a performance that feels truly lived-in. A Film made with its sights set on Awards Season glory and it very likely will get there.
NYAD screens at TIFF ’23:
Thursday, September 14
Visa Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre
Descriptive sound
5:45 PM
Saturday, September 16
TIFF Bell Lightbox
Closed captioning
9:30 PM
Premiering November 3, 2023 on Netflix and next month at TIFF, here is a first look at NYAD starring Annette Bening and Jodie Foster!
DIRECTORS: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin
WRITER: Julia Cox
BASED ON: The Book “Find A Way” by Diana Nyad
PRODUCERS: Andrew Lazar, Teddy Schwarzman
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Bill Johnson, Jim Seibel, Michael Heimler, Vanessa Humphrey, Julia Cox, D. Scott Lumpkin
KEY CAST: Annette Bening, Jodie Foster, Rhys Ifans, Ethan Jones Romero, Luke Cosgrove, Jeena Yi, Eric T. Miller
SYNOPSIS:
A remarkable true story of tenacity, friendship and the triumph of the human spirit, NYAD recounts a riveting chapter in the life of world-class athlete Diana Nyad. Three decades after giving up marathon swimming in exchange for a prominent career as a sports journalist, at the age of 60, Diana (four-time Academy Award nominee Annette Bening) becomes obsessed with completing an epic swim that always eluded her: the 110 mile trek from Cuba to Florida, often referred to as the “Mount Everest” of swims. Determined to become the first person to finish the swim without a shark cage, Diana goes on a thrilling, four-year journey with her best friend and coach Bonnie Stoll (two-time Academy Award winner Jodie Foster) and a dedicated sailing team.
The inspirational and thrilling film marks the narrative directorial debut of Academy Award-winning documentary filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (Free Solo, The Rescue). NYAD is produced by Andrew Lazar, p.g.a. and Teddy Schwarzman, p.g.a. with a screenplay by Julia Cox, adapted from the memoir “Find a Way” by Diana Nyad.
Elevation Pictures x Mr. Will want to give Readers a chance to win Digital Passes to an Advance Screening of THE MAURITANIAN on February 25th at 8:30PM EST.
Synopsis:
Captured by the U.S. Government, Mohamedou Ould Slahi (Tahar Rahim) languishes in prison for years without charge or trial. Losing all hope, Slahi finds allies in defense attorney Nancy Hollander (Jodie Foster) and her associate Teri Duncan (Shailene Woodley). Together they face countless obstacles in a desperate pursuit for justice. Their controversial advocacy, along with evidence uncovered by formidable military prosecutor, Lt. Colonel Stuart Couch (Benedict Cumberbatch), eventually reveals a shocking and far reaching conspiracy. Based on the New York Times best-selling memoir, this is the explosive true story of a fight for survival against all odds.
Trailer:
To enter for a chance to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK. Re-Tweet this Contest Tweet below for an extra chance.
Enter for a chance to #win Advance Passes to a Digital Screening if THE MAURITANIAN.
— MR. WILL WONG 📸 (@mrwillw) February 18, 2021
How: https://t.co/dU3UwERbaR pic.twitter.com/uD0PJeQ0fQ
Rules and regulations here.
Elevation Pictures release THE MAURITANIAN March 2, 2021.
(Photo/video credit: Elevation Pictures)
Coming to theatres next February, here is the brand-new Trailer for Kevin Macdonald’s THE MAURITANIAN.
Synopsis:
Captured by the U.S. Government, Mohamedou Ould Slahi (Tahar Rahim) languishes in prison for years without charge or trial. Losing all hope, Slahi finds allies in defense attorney Nancy Hollander (Jodie Foster) and her associate Teri Duncan (Shailene Woodley). Together they face countless obstacles in a desperate pursuit for justice. Their controversial advocacy, along with evidence uncovered by formidable military prosecutor, Lt. Colonel Stuart Couch (Benedict Cumberbatch), eventually reveals a shocking and far reaching conspiracy. Based on the New York Times best-selling memoir, this is the explosive true story of a fight for survival against all odds.
See the Trailer:
Elevation Pictures release THE MAURITANIAN February 2021.
(Photo/video credit: Elevation Pictures)
We were actually in New York last spring while it was filming on Wall Street so it’s a bit surreal we are seeing the brand new trailer for Jodie Foster’s star-studded MONEY MONSTER!
Synopsis:
In the taut and tense thriller Money Monster, Lee Gates (George Clooney) is a bombastic TV personality whose popular financial network show has made him the money wiz of Wall Street. But after he hawks a high tech stock that mysteriously crashes, an irate investor (Jack O’Connell) takes Gates, his crew, and his ace producer Patty Fenn (Julia Roberts) hostage live on air. Unfolding in real time, Gates and Fenn must find a way to keep themselves alive while simultaneously uncovering the truth behind a tangle of big money lies.
See the Trailer:
#JackOConnell tells me his day on the set of #MoneyMonster was “emotional”. #NikonD3300 A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong ⛄ (@mrwillwong) on
#GeorgeClooney on the set of #MoneyMonster, directed by #JodieFoster. #NYC #NikonD3300 A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong ⛄ (@mrwillwong) on
#AmalClooney shows up to the set of #MoneyMonster to support Husband #GeorgeClooney. #NYC A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong ⛄ (@mrwillwong) on
With #GeorgeClooney on the set of hotly-buzzed #MoneyMonster. #NYC #NikonD3300 A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong ⛄ (@mrwillwong) on
Hot off the success of their Original Series House of Cards, Netflix is placing its hopes in Prison-set Series, Orange is the New Black, based on the Memoir of the same name by Piper Kerman. Starring Taylor Schilling as Piper Chapman, a Brooklynite who is sent to jail for possession of a suitcase filled with drug money for her Ex-Girlfriend/international Drug Smuggler, Alex Vause (Laura Prepon). Piper must endure her 15-month sentence, dealing with a mix of personalities at the minimum-security Facility, taken away from her comfortable life and beloved Fiancé, Larry (Jason Biggs).
In Toronto today (at one of the City’s poshest Hotels) to promote Orange is the New Black were Kerman, Biggs, Prepon and Newcomer Danielle Brooks who plays the outrageous Inmate Taystee, while Schilling unfortunately fell ill, unable to be present physically for this round of Press.
PIPER KERMAN
A lovely and well-spoken Kerman addresses a room of Journalists first and if any Onlooker were to guess who in the room had served time in Prison, she likely would be last on the list. She gives us a jaw-dropping statistic, “In the U.S., Women are the fastest growing percentage of those in Prison over past 20 years; their number has grown 800%. More and more, that Person wearing that orange jumpsuit is a Woman.”
I ask her to take us back in time to 1998 when she was indicted. We learned that it took six grueling years before finally she entered Prison in 2004. “I always knew I was going to jail. There was no doubt about it”, she recalls. “Much of the first year, I spent lying on my back thinking I’d ruined my life. After a certain point you just pick-up your head and decide it’s just best to get on with it. When finally I had to serve time, I was ready to get this over with.”.
Does Series Creator Jenji Kohan (Weeds) however, succeed at transforming her powerful Story to Television, we wonder? “Even though Piper Chapman‘s Storylines aren’t the same as my own, I think a lot of the conflict still is depicted on the Show and that is realistic.”. Make no mistake, this Series is more than just a Dramedy – it is an observation of the injustices within the U.S. Justice System. “Different Americans are treated very differently by the Criminal Justice System”. She adds, “Life in Prison is very intentionally hidden. I thought by telling my own Story, people would walk way with a very different sense of what goes on in Prison. The Show however, absolutely does that. I couldn’t be more thrilled.”.
LAURA PREPON
The vivacious Laura Prepon has become a household name for her work on massively popular Sitcom, That ’70s Show, as Donna Pinciotti. After a brief stint starring on NBC‘s Are You There, Chelsea?, the Actress actually was in Germany when she received her 14 hours notice that she landed her Role in Orange is the New Black and that she was soon to begin filming in New York. Almost completely unrecognizable as what she calls a “manipulative, international drug-smuggling Lesbian”, I ask her about her dramatic transformation and how her look was achieved.
“I actually wanted to be more tatted, but Jenji had a specific thing she wanted. There was this one tattoo of a Woman on my arm and I was like, ‘Really, Jenji??’. Every time I had to put it on, it wouldn’t stick and it’s because she (the Woman in the tattoo) knows we hated her!”, she kids. “The Rockabilly look took a while to figure out, but once we did, we were good”. But how does one stand out and define themselves among an immensely-talented Cast all wearing that same thing? “I rolled-up my sleeves, had my black eyeliner which Alex got through the bartering system and my glasses”, Prepon divulges about her customized look.
Torontonians certainly haven’t forgotten about Prepon‘s portrayal of Serial Killer Karla Homolka in 2006’s Karla. Once again playing a Criminal in this new Series, she distinguishes between the two. “Karla was an evil Individual and so was her Husband. Alex on the other hand is a good person. She’s wily, smart and does what she does to survive. She runs an international Drug Ring, but she’s good at what she does”, she explains. “I never want to get complacent in a role. I always want to push myself as an Actress. I’m proud of my work in Karla.“.
Although she long has been against the idea of Nudity, she always told herself she’d make an exception if it were done as tastefully as in Stephen Frears’ Dangerous Liaisons. Opportunity came knocking in last year’s Comedy, Lay the Favourite, helmed by that one and she agreed for the first time ever to appear nude on-screen. Once again in Orange is the New Black, she learned that disrobing would be required telling us, “Jenji and I had a conversation and she assured me it wouldn’t be gratuitous. It actually would have looked weird if I were hiding. So as long as it’s not gratuitous, I’m okay with it.”.
DANIELLE BROOKS
Danielle Brooks might be a Newcomer, but she has been hard at work honing her talents as a Graduate of The Juilliard School. And if her recently being cast in the third season of HBO‘s Girls is any indication, the disarming young Actress is onto something huge. On her experience working with this brilliant Ensemble she says, “A lot of the time we didn’t stay in our Trailers, we stood around watching each other on-set learning.”. She admits to being a huge Fan of Co-Star Natasha Lyonne (like Biggs, known best for American Pie) who stars as fiery Inmate Nicky Nichols. “Natasha is my Homegirl. She can be really chill and a ball of fire. I’ve got mad love for her and I’ve been following her Career long before this.”.
On her outrageous Character Taystee she explains, “She is a Child of the System who found comfort being in Prison. There are people whose lives outside are actually harder than being on the inside. She winds up becoming the Leader of the Black Whack and in her mind runs this place.”.
Many will be surprised that Academy Award Winner Jodie Foster and former Teen Heartthrob Andrew McCarthy each directed episodes of Orange is the New Black in its first Season. On that experience, Brooks admits “They know the lingo which Actors like. They’ve been been doing it for years and have an eye for the Craft. Jodie was quiet and soft-spoken, while Andrew knew exactly what he wanted and we had to do it! Michael Trim was just awesome.”.
JASON BIGGS
Perhaps the liveliest of the four Talents today, American Pie Star Biggs‘ arrival at the Junket drew the most smiles. “Hi, F*ckers!”, he greets us, before poking fun at his own Masturbation scenes in Orange is the new Black, drawing laughter from the Journalists. “Would anyone like me to demonstrate it for you?”.
His role in the Series is perhaps a bit more subdued that what we are accustomed to from him as Schilling‘s likeable Fiancé, Larry. On prepping to create a sweet and believable chemistry between him and his Co-Star, he says in a deadpan voice, “Well, we had to have sex a couple times…”. He was joking of course, adding “Taylor is just so easy to be around and an amazing Scene Partner. She is gonna win every Award and deserves all the recognition she is getting.”.
He recalls the first scene they shot together, “It was me dropping her off at Prison, hugging her and saying goodbye. I don’t do emotional, serious stuff. I was nervous. And with anyone else I would’ve been less confident – way more nervous.”. Biggs continues, “She couldn’t have been more supportive for me as an Actor. I only knew this Girl for two weeks and felt really sad dropping her off at this fake Prison.”.
With a Cast filled with female Criminals, there is somewhat of a gender reversal in Orange is the New Black. “Larry’s the Good Guy, the more conservative of the two. He’s aware of her Crazy Girl past… he’s attracted to that, but realizes she’s ostensibly changed.”. On Larry‘s biggest challenge in being apart from Piper, he believes “We knew over the course of a Season, one of the things in play would be the strain on their relationship. A consequence of her being away is that obviously there’s something to play with. How much of a Rock can he be to her over this 15 month period? Introducing Alex to the mix, what does that do? He’s definitely tested.”.
And tested these complex Characters are indeed in the juicy and addictive Orange is the New Black. The complete first Season is now available on Netflix in its 13-episode entirety.
Listen to the complete Toronto Junket in full below:
(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)
Giving just a taste of what’s to come at the Oscars next month, the 70th annual Golden Globe Awards took place tonight at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. As originally thought, the Race to next month’s Oscars is just as wide-open as ever based on tonight’s results. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association awarded top Honours to Argo for Motion Picture – Drama, when many thought Zero Dark Thirty or Lincoln would be victorious. To further illustrate the drastic differences between the HFPA‘s tastes and that of the Academy, Ben Affleck shocked many in failing to garner a mention for Best Director when Oscar Nominees were unveiled this past Thursday. To put this into context, Affleck‘s win tonight for Motion Picture – Director had him defeating previous Oscar Winners Kathryn Bigelow and even past Cecil B. DeMille Award Winner, Steven Spielberg. Nonetheless, with Argo nabbing two key Awards, in addition to Django Unchained winning Original Screenplay and Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture (Christoph Waltz) and Les Misérables also winning an impressive three Awards: Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Actor in a Musical or Comedy (Hugh Jackman) and Supporting Actress in a Musical or Comedy (Anne Hathaway), these three Best Picture Nominees definitely cannot be ruled-out.
Jodie Foster, a six-time Golden Globe Nominee herself, was honoured with the Cecil B. DeMille Award this year, raising quite a few eyebrows with her v. candid Speech which for the first time publicly had her addressing her Sexuality. “I’m just gonna put it out there loud and proud, so I’m gonna need your support on this. I am single. Yes I am”, she said with a bit of nervousness. “I already did my coming-out a thousand years ago in the Stone Age in those very quaint days when a fragile young Girl would open-up to Family and Friends”. On her longevity as an Actress Foster says, “There are a few secrets to keeping your Psyche intact over such a long career – love people and stay beside them.”.
As predicted, Jessica Chastain and Daniel Day-Lewis won respectively for Best Actress and Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama. This is the second time Chastain has been nominated, her first Nomination coming with 2011’s The Help. Also this is the sixth time the reclusive Day-Lewis has been nominated and his second time winning the prestigious Award. He won in 2008 for There Will Be Blood.
Meanwhile, Hugh Jackman earned his first-ever Golden Globe for Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, with Les Misérables; he received his first nomination back in 2002 for Kate & Leopold. Jackman edged-out Bradley Cooper, a first-time Nominee for his work on Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Winner Silver Linings Playbook. Both Actors will vie with Day-Lewis at next month’s Oscars for the coveted Best Actor Award.
The Hunger Games Star Jennifer Lawrence, won her first Golden Globe for Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for her work in Silver Linings Playbook. “What can I say? I beat Meryl!”, she joked upon accepting her Award from hilarious Anchorman 2 Duo, Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell. “JLaw” as she likes to be called, received her first Golden Globe in 2010 for Breakthrough Role in Winter’s Bone.
Three-time Golden Globe Nominee Anne Hathaway was seen widely as a heavy Favourite to win for Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture and did not disappoint for her work in Les Misérables. Defeating an exceptionally-talented Group including Helen Hunt, Nicole Kidman, Amy Adams and Sally Field, Hathaway likely will take home Best Supporting Actress next month also. The New York Native’s Acceptance Speech was full of compliments, giving nods to Co-Host Tina Fey, using a word she made famous, “Blarg!” and also praising Field for her Oscar-winning work in Norma Rae.
Despite some heavy competition, two-time Golden Globe Nominee and now two-time Winner Waltz rose above all to win Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for his spirited turn in Django Unchained. With the exception of Co-Star Leonardo DiCaprio, he will be up against Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tommy Lee Jones and Alan Arkin again next month at the Oscars in the same Category.
In the Television categories, HBO‘s Sarah Palin-inspired Game Change and Showtime Drama Series Homeland walked away the big Winners. The former won for Mini-Series or Motion Picture for Television, in addition to Stars Julianne Moore and Ed Harris each winning Actress and Supporting Actor respectively. The latter garnered four nominations this year, including Television Series – Drama. New Mom Claire Danes, who won last year for Actress in a Television Series – Drama repeated the feat again this year, while Co-Star Damian Lewis won the Award for Actor. HBO‘s Breakout Hit Girls despite falling short at the Primetime Emmy Awards late last year, would not be refused tonight winning Television Series – Comedy and also its Writer and Star Lena Dunham winning Actress in a Television Series – Comedy. Coincidentally or not, Season Two of the Series premiered tonight.
As always, Fashion is a huge part of the Festivities and especially stunning on the Red Carpet tonight were Hathaway donning an elegant white Chanel Dress. Chastain rarely disappoints and tonight she chose Calvin Klein as her Clothier of choice, looking Classic Hollywood and Katharine Hepburn-esque. Lawrence also drew a lot of attention for her red Dior Couture Dress cinched with a thematically-appropriate gold belt, as did Foster in a navy Armani Number. Lucy Liu who currently stars in TV Series Elementary, may have drawn some mixed responses for her floral Carolina Herrera Dress, but she gets big points here for the inspired Look. Also, hilariously snappy Co-Hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler graced the Carpet in Wife and Husband Outfits, Fey looking particularly amazing in L’wren Scott. Of the Gentleman, no one can deny that Leonardo DiCaprio was King of the Ball in Tom Ford!
For a complete list of Winners, click here.
(Photo credit: @GoldenGlobes)
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