The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has a reputation for catering to its A-list nominees but this year’s Golden Globes have been dominated by first-time nominees and new shows.
Director Richard Linklater, actors Eddie Redmayne (“The Theory of Everything”), Gina Rodriguez (“Jane the Virgin”), Jeffrey Tambor (“Transparent”), Matt Bomer (“The Normal Heart”), Joanne Froggatt (“Downton Abbey”) and J.K. Simmons (“Whiplash”) and composer Johann Johannsson (“The Theory of Everything”) capitalized on their first nominations and won Golden Globes.
Maggie Gyllenhaal and Patricia Arquette won Golden Globes on their third and fourth tries, respectively, while Michael Keaton won on his second attempt for “Birdman.” Meanwhile, “House of Cards” star Kevin Spacey won his first Golden Globe on his eighth nomination, including a loss last year to “Breaking Bad’s’” Bryan Cranston.
Arquette won after being nominated three times for her work on “Medium” and going empty-handed each time. She won on her first film nomination for “Boyhood,” which the actress shot over a 12-year period.
Gyllenhaal had the inverse experience, losing twice for the indie movies “Secretary” and “Sherrybaby” and winning on her first TV nomination for SundanceTV’s “The Honourable Woman.”
On the TV side, the HFPA honored new series “Fargo,” “The Affair” and “Transparent,” dealing traditional networks a blow by lauding cable’s FX and Showtime as well as Amazon’s acclaimed online offering.
“The Affair” star Ruth Wilson also won her first Golden Globe after being previously nominated for the 2006 BBC miniseries “Jane Eyre.”
After going 0-for-4, Amy Adams won her second straight Golden Globe for “Big Eyes” following last year’s win for “American Hustle.” Adams thanked The Weinstein Company, director Tim Burton and her charismatic co-star, Christoph Waltz.
Froggatt topped established actresses Kathy Bates and Allison Janney as well as “True Detective” star Michelle Monaghan and “Orange Is the New Black” breakout Uzo Aduba.
Simmons has been the perceived frontrunner throughout awards season, so his win over the Hulks — Mark Ruffalo and Edward Norton — wasn’t terribly surprising.
His win served in stark contrast to Rodriguez’s triumph, which was trending on Twitter in no time. The young ingenue fended off former Golden Globe winners Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Edie Falco, as well as the higher-profile Lena Dunham, whose series “Girls” returned to HBO on Sunday night.
Linklater has two Oscar nominations under his belt for writing “Before Sunset” and “Before Midnight” but had never before been nominated for a Golden Globe. While he lost in the screenplay category to “Birdman,” he won Best Director, beating out that film’s Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. Perhaps it was the HFPA’s way of acknowledging both filmmakers.