Latina Winners at the 2022 Golden Globe Awards
Updated: Aug 22, 2022
source: https://assets.vogue.com/photos/61db4d58ef2cd3e0f27c66d6/master/w_3336,h_2448,c_limit/GettyImages-1358779860.jpg
The Golden Globe Awards are a star-studded event that has honored outstanding films, television series, and actors for nearly 80 years. However, for the first time in many years, the awards show was not available for public viewing due to a recent controversy surrounding the organization who conducts the Golden Globes, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). The HFPA, which consists of international entertainment journalists and reporters, was widely criticized for its lack of Black members and corrupt business practices. Because of this, The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) refused to televise The 2022 Golden Globes.
However, something good still came out of this year’s awards show. The 79th Golden Globe Awards, held on Sunday January 9, 2022, pleasantly surprised fans with a strong Latinx presence amongst the award winners. Here are some of the incredibly talented Latina women who shined and achieved major wins at the 2022 Golden Globes:
MJ Rodriguez (she/her)
MJ (Michaela Jaé) Rodriguez, who is a transgender woman of Puerto Rican and African-American descent, won the award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series — Drama for her role as Blanca in the dance musical, Pose. Rodriguez made history as the first trans actress to win a Golden Globe award. In addition to becoming the first trans actress to be awarded a Golden Globe,she was also the first trans woman to earn an Emmy nomination. Rodriguez’s win is monumental. She is a pioneer who is undoubtedly opening doors for trans women of color and the LGBTQIA+ community.
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Rachel Zegler (she/her)
Colombian-American singer-songwriter and actress, Rachel Zegler, won the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy for her debut role as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story. The Latina character, Maria, was originally played by a white actress who performed an accent for the 1961 film. To see Zegler portray the character in the adaptation and win a Golden Globe for it is definitely a step in the right direction for Latina representation and celebration.
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Ariana DeBose (she/her)
Fellow West Side Story actress, Ariana DeBose, who identifies as a queer Afro-Puerto Rican woman, won Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture for her role as Anita. In the 1961 version of the film, Anita was played by Rita Moreno, the first Latina woman to win an Oscar. DeBose had big shoes to fill, but she did not disappoint. She brought the beloved character back to life beautifully, and rightfully won the Golden Globe for her talented efforts.
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In addition to MJ Rodriguez, Rachel Zegler, and Ariana DeBose, here are a couple of Latinx films that were also honored at the Golden Globes:
Encanto
The hit Disney animated film, Encanto, won the award for Best Motion Picture Animated Film. The heartwarming movie tells the tale of a Colombian family.
source: https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/rockcms/2022-01/220110-encanto-main-bn-1145-3ac0f6.jpg
West Side Story
Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story adaptation won the award for Best Motion Picture Musical/Comedy. The film has been praised for its talented and diverse Latinx cast.
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The Golden Globe Awards haves lacked racial and gender diversity and representation amongst nominators and nominees for decades and there is still plenty of work to be done in that arena. However, the spotlight on Latina actresses and Latinx-led films at this year’s Golden Globes is most certainly a sign of progress worth celebrating. Hopefully, the Golden Globes can move forward in a positive direction by continuing to highlight talented actors, films, and TV series from marginalized communities.
Written by Valerie Leija
Sources
https://www.thecut.com/2022/01/the-2022-golden-globes-whats-going-on.html
https://www.buzzfeed.com/pablovaldivia/latinas-win-golden-globes-2021
https://hiplatina.com/golden-globes-latinas-2022/