Golden Globes: ‘Spotlight’ Director Tom McCarthy on Nominations, Peter Dinklage Snub
“Spotlight” was nominated in three categories, while the “Game of Thrones” fan favorite — who starred in McCarthy’s first film — got no love
Beatrice Verhoeven | December 10, 2015 @ 9:47 AM
Last Updated: December 10, 2015 @ 8:59 PM
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Tom McCarthy’s critically acclaimed film “Spotlight” was nominated for Golden Globes in three categories — Best Motion Picture, Drama, Best Director, and Best Screenplay — but one of them meant a little more to him than the others.
“Obviously, being a director especially with so many good films this year, that’s special,” McCarthy told TheWrap shortly after the nominations were announced at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Thursday. “I take a lot of pride in the work I do. It’s nice to be singled out in that way. It’s great to hear your name being called, and you feel as a director of the film, it’s really rewarding when a film gets honored like that.”
McCarthy was making waffles for his daughter when the film’s cowriter, Josh Singer, called him about the Best Screenplay nomination, which was the first of the three to be revealed. “That’s the great thing about being a cowriter — you get to share this moment with someone else,” said McCarthy.
The drama that chronicles the true story of how Boston Globe journalists broke the the molestation scandal surrounding the Catholic Church in 2001 has resonated with audiences since its premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September. It boasts a Rotten Tomatoes score of 98 percent, making it the fifth best movie of the year on the website.
McCarthy said that when they debuted the film, he sat in the audience and he could “feel that the movie was connecting to the audience, that they were connecting to the humanity of the film.”
According to him, lawyers of victims and survivors frequently came up to him and the cast after screenings, and many more victims have come forward for the first time after seeing the film.
Rachael McAdams received a supporting actress nomination and the film got a cast nod from the SAG Awards earlier this week. But Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruffalo and Brian d’Arcy James didn’t score any individual Globe nominations, although McCarthy said the actors don’t mind.
“I’ve received emails from the actors and they are happy that the movie was nominated,” he said. “These guys are pros — they know it’s incredibly competitive with a lot of great performances out there. We are all just very happy for the film.”
Another nominee shocker this morning was Peter Dinklage, who did not receive one for his role in “Game of Thrones.” McCarthy gave Dinklage his first major role in “The Station Agent,” paving the way for his breakout success on the HBO series.
“Peter’s body of work speaks for itself,” McCarthy said of the snub. “It has gotten a lot of recognition, and he knows at this point in his career that he is a great actor. I’m sure he’s handling it well. It’s surprising, but like I said, it’s incredibly competitive. It’s hard to play the blame game.”
All in all, McCarthy is happy that the film is shedding light on the issue, as well as highlighting the positive impact of investigative journalism.
“It’s a validation for everybody on some level and we all felt fortunate to tell the story,” McCarthy added. “We made a very entertaining movie, but at the end of the day the movie is about institutional abuse, and it’s really hard to make a movie like that these days. It’s a good day.”
Golden Globes Snubs and Surprises: From Johnny Depp to Lady Gaga (Photos)
SURPRISE: "Casual"
This freshman comedy from director Jason Reitman marks the first time a Hulu series has been nominated for a Golden Globe.
Hulu
SNUB: "Creed"
Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler both failed to get a nomination, while the film did not get a nomination for Best Drama despite being a critical and box office success. But Sylvester Stallone did get nominated for Best Supporting Actor-Drama
MGM/Warner Bros.
SURPRISE: "Mozart in the Jungle"
The new Amazon dramady set in a fictional New York symphony orchestra secured two nominations (Best TV Comedy and Best Actor in a Comedy Series) despite the fact that the show has not generated as much buzz as Amazon's other major series, "Transparent."
Amazon
SNUB: "Mad Men"
While Jon Hamm got nominated, the final season of AMC's "Mad Men" failed to secure any other nominations for the Golden Globes
AMC
SNUB: "Straight Outta Compton"
Universal's NWA biopic failed to get any nominations, despite a strong cast of young actors and major critical and box office success
Despite major praise for his role as gangster James "Whitey" Bulger, Johnny Depp failed to get a Best Actor-Drama nomination.
Warner Bros.
SURPRISE: Fox
After getting shut out at the SAG Award nominations, Fox secured four nominations, including Best TV Drama ("Empire") and Best Actress in a TV Drama (Taraji P. Henson)
"House of Cards" star Kevin Spacey did not get nominated for his performance as Frank Underwood this year, despite winning the Best Actor in a TV Drama last year
While Amy Schumer's feature debut, "Trainwreck," got a nomination, the comedian failed to get one for her Comedy Central sketch series, "Inside Amy Schumer."
Mark Ruffalo got a nod for "Infinitely Polar Bear." The surprise is that he did not get nominated for his performance in the critically-acclaimed "Spotlight"
ABC
SURPRISE: New faces in comedy actor category
Jeffrey Tambor from Amazon's "Transparent" is the only returning nominee in the Best Actor in a TV Comedy category. New nominees include: Aziz Ansari ("Master of None"); Rob Lowe ("The Grinder"); Gael Garcia Bernal ("Mozart in the Jungle"); and Patrick Stewart ("Blunt Talk")
Amazon
SNUB: "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt"
Ellie Kemper earned widespread praise for her role in the Tina Fey Netflix series "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt." Yet both she and the show failed to receive any Golden Globe nominations
Lady Gaga secured the only acting nomination for Ryan Murphy's FX anthology series, "American Horror Story: Hotel." Her appearance on the show as The Countess marks her first major acting role in a television series
FX
SURPRISE: Rachel Bloom
Rachel Bloom, star of CW's "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," got a nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy series, despite the show's low ratings
Julianna Margulies failed to get a nomination for her role in CBS' "The Good Wife," despite being nominated in the Best Actress in a TV Drama category for the past five years
CBS
SNUB: NBC
Mirroring Fox at the 2016 SAG Award nominations, no NBC series managed to get a nomination for the Golden Globes, including the final season of "Parks and Recreation"
Veteran actor Benicio and Oscar winner Benicio Del Toro did not get a nomination for his portrayal of drug enforcement agent Alejandro in critically acclaimed thriller "Sicario"
Lionsgate
SNUB: "The Walk"
Joseph Gordon-Levitt's biopic of high-wire artist Philippe Petit and his walk between the World Trade Center tower failed to secure any nominations despite being pegged as an early Best Picture contender
Sony
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Several critical darlings get shut out, while a number of relatively unknown projects score big
SURPRISE: "Casual"
This freshman comedy from director Jason Reitman marks the first time a Hulu series has been nominated for a Golden Globe.