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The 71st annual Golden Globe Awards nominations were announced Thursday morning.
Here’s what the nominees are saying about the honor:
American Hustle director and co-writer David O. Russell was in the air, flying between Rome and London when the Globe nominations were announced, so he wasn’t sure what kind of news he’d be landing to. “I was saying to our traveling band, ‘Look when we land, I don’t know what it’s going to be,’ ” he tells The Hollywood Reporter. “You have to expect nothing. You have to believe in the picture and forge ahead.” American Hustle tied for the most nominations with seven. “We got that enormous surprise. It makes me humbled and very proud for all our actors,” said Russell, speaking to THR from his hotel. Russell, who went through awards season with his film Silver Linings Playbook last year, says he’ll never take the process for granted: “There’s not one molecule in my body that is tired of one bit of this.”
Eric Warren Singer, the co-writer of American Hustle, said his wife woke him up to let him know about his screenplay nomination. “It’s great way to start the day,” he tells THR. But Singer then had to go right back into dad mode, getting his son ready for school and then reading stories to his son’s class. “I really hoped that people were entertained by the movie,” says Singer. “I try not to get into that head game [of awards] because I just feel like that’s icing on the cake.” Singer was quick to credit his co-writer and director, Russell, for the film. “When I began this journey with this movie, which was like 15 years ago, I never imagined that it would take me on this ride. David is one of these filmmakers that has such an indelible, singular voice. You could watch one of his films and have no credits and you would know it’s a David O. Russell movie.” This will be Singer’s first real experience in the awards circus: “I’m on a killer deadline on another project, so I’m hoping I can balance it all. But it’s the kind of problem I like to have.”
Amy Adams, nominated for best actress in a motion picture, musical or comedy, for her work on American Hustle said: “I am so honored that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has recognized my work alongside such brilliant actresses. Also a huge congrats to the amazing writers, directors, and casts of American Hustle and [Adams’ other film] Her for their nominations. Truly a day for gratitude.”
Bradley Cooper, nominated for best supporting actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy, for his work on American Hustle, said: “I’m humbled that the HFPA recognized American Hustle in such a big way. I’m so happy for David O. Russell and really proud of this film. To work alongside Christian, Amy, Jeremy, Jen and the entire cast of this film is a real honor.”
American Hustle producers Charles Roven and Richard Suckle said of their seven nominations: “Thank you to the Hollywood Foreign Press for recognizing yet another extraordinary film at the hands of the singular talent of David O. Russell. American Hustle is, like all of David’s recent pictures, character driven, operatic and beautifully delivered by a dream cast. We at Atlas are deeply proud to be involved with the film and thank our terrific partners at Annapurna and Sony.”
Emma Tillinger, producer of best motion picture, musical or comedy, nominee The Wolf of Wall Street says: “This is really wonderful. You know, I come on after we are financed; I don’t find the money. So the biggest challenge was the scope of the movie and the way Marty [Scorsese] wanted to tell the story. It’s very similar to Casino — we’d be in two or three locations in one day, the script changed here and there. Also, once you got all those actors in a room, the scenes would change too and ultimately go on longer than expected. But, we got through it — on time and on budget! Watching Leo’s transformation and growth from start to finish in this film — this is my fourth movie with him — is really exciting. The risks he takes prove him to be one of the finest actors of his generation.” Celebrations? “Well, tonight I’m going to do a PGA screening and panel then hopefully go out and have a late dinner and a couple drinks. So, it will be a celebration all day.”
Joey McFarland of Red Granite, one of the companies that produced The Wolf of Wall Street, was up at 4 a.m., reading and trying to recover from jet lag after a return from Paris, when he got an instant message from his partner Riza Aziz saying “Congrats!” McFarland, who doesn’t own a TV, then realized what morning it was and quickly called his friend. “We did a telephonic high-five,” he said.
Wolf, in which Leonardo DiCaprio plays unscrupulous stockbroker Jordan Belfort, shifted its release date amid speculation the movie wouldn’t be ready this year, thus putting out of awards contention. But Thursday morning it walked away with nominations for best motion picture (musical or comedy) and best actor.
“What you see is the uncompromising approach to the world,” said McFarland. “Jordan’s story is debaucherous in nature, and anything short of that is a disservice. You have Leo light on his feet and you have Marty pushing him farther than he’s ever been pushed. That’s what the Hollywood Foreign Press responded to.”
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McFarland and Aziz have a nonstop schedule to attend Q&A screenings until the movie opens Dec. 25, so the two don’t have plans to indulge in a big celebration. But …
“There’s going to be a lot of smiling today,” said Aziz.
Leonardo DiCaprio, nominated for best actor in a motion picture, comedy or musical, for his role in The Wolf of Wall Street said: “I’m truly honored to be nominated by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association today. Getting this movie financed and off the ground was a dream of mine for over six years, and is a testament to the true collaboration between Red Granite, Sikelia, Appian Way and Paramount. This film would not have been possible without the genius of Martin Scorsese, and this incredibly talented cast and crew. Making Wolf of Wall Street was one of the highlights of my career. Thank you again to the HFPA for their support.”
John Ridley, nominated for best screenplay for 12 Years a Slave, said: “It’s been nuts, great, gravitating, humbling. It’s helpful to keep a routine — I just took my kids to school! The process of writing 12 Years, there are parts that are a little hazy, and have disappeared into the mist. So it’s interesting now to go back and talk about it. I hadn’t done Red Tails yet, the [Jimi] Hendrix film [All Is by My Side] or the L.A. Riots film. My professional life has changed greatly since then; but this film has changed the magnitude of my life. And this year, one of the most competitive, to be part of this conversation, is such a huge thing. I was stunned mostly for myself today, I really had gone to bed last night without any expectations. There’s nothing like a positive peer review! Today my sons have a basketball game and jazz concert, but I got to celebrate this morning with my family. The kids are 10 and 13 now, old enough to get what daddy does for a job. We may order a pizza later tonight.”
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12 Years producer Dede Gardner said: “It all feels like a gift …that Solomon Northup’s story has a place in our history now. Neither of us had heard of him before making the film; we were embarrassed and humbled by that. With Steve McQueen at the helm it turns out it’s not that hard to get the talent we did! Everyone lined up to be part of the project with him as captain.”
Fellow producer Jeremy Kleiner added: “Solomon’s story was almost lost to history. The level of passion Steve had for this story was a motivating factor for us. He is a real humanist and his films speak to deep, universal questions. It’s very exciting that the film is being embraced in this way.”
“I knew it was happening, but there’s nothing I could do. It’s all out of my hands,” says 12 Years‘ Lupita Nyong’o of her Golden Globes nominations morning. The actress, who was nominated for best supporting actress in a drama, says she was listening to the announcements live and it reminded her of going on a roller-coaster, something she experienced while visiting Universal Studios in Florida over the Thanksgiving break. “You’re nervous, excited and terrified as you’re waiting, and then you start going down, and it’s horrifying and exciting and exhilarating all at the same time.” She says plenty of people have been giving her advice about the busy few months that are coming up: “It’s kind of scary because lots of people have just been saying, ‘Get ready, girl,’ and I don’t really know what that means. But they say, ‘Drink a lot of water and take vitamins.’ “
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Chiwetel Ejiofor, nominated for best actor in a motion picture, drama, for his work in 12 Years a Slave, says: “This is absolutely fantastic! It’s just terrific for the film. It’s been an incredible experience from the moment I read the script. I’m so pleased audiences have connected to it. I personally was instantly so engaged, and found the story immersive. I’m very, very honored. I hope a few of us can celebrate with some dinner tonight, but [director] Steve McQueen is on a plane somewhere, so we will toast in his absence!”
Steve McQueen, whose film received seven nominations including a best director nod, said: “Thank you very much to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for acknowledging our efforts in making 12 Years a Slave. I am delighted for my cast and crew who worked so hard on this film to shine a light on a forgotten American hero, Solomon Northup.”
Michael Fassbender, nominated for best supporting actor for 12 Years a Slave, said: “I’m humbled and honored to receive this nomination from the HFPA and thrilled for my friends Steve, Chiwetel and Lupita. I feel this is such an important film so thank you to the HFPA for all their support championing Solomon Northup’s story.”
Hans Zimmer, who was nominated for his work scoring 12 Years said: “Thank you to the Hollywood Foreign Press for recognizing such an important and timeless film. Scoring a project for Steve McQueen of this caliber was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I could not be more grateful for the love that he, the cast, and the film have received.”
Alfonso Cuaron, who earned a nom for best director for Gravity says he was stuck in “airport limbo” when the nominations were announced this morning. “They called me and said, ‘Congratulations!’ and I said, ‘OK, I have to go!’ ” he says. “I didn’t have time to register it. But obviously I’m very grateful.” Cuaron, whose film also received a nomination for best drama, adds that the accolade is “something that we would never have expected.” He’s most proud of the emotional responses that moviegoers have had toward the film. “People have really embraced the film from an emotional level and that is due to Sandra [Bullock]. That’s her amazing work. That’s really beautiful,” he says. Bullock also received a nomination for lead actress.
Gravity producer David Heyman was having lunch after some Christmas shopping in London with his 5-year-old son and had his phone off. When he turned it back on, he was greeted with a slew of congratulatory emails and messages. “I gave my 5-year-old a big kiss on the cheek and that was it,” he said of his reaction.
He called the nomination “a big gift. I’m not used to this. I’m just pleased for the people, the thousands of people, who worked on the film.”
And while the movie may have opened in October to great acclaim and tremendous box office, he and director Alfonso Cuaron and others have not been resting on their laurels. “I’ve just come back from Japan, where we were releasing the film, Alfonso’s been in Mexico, China. We’ve been traveling the globe promoting the film. And I’m still working on the DVD. But on Monday, I’m going on vacation for a couple of weeks.”
As for tonight, Heyman said he was going to tuck his son in, read him a story, then “have a glass of wine with his wife. Maybe two.”
Nebraska director Alexander Payne says he wasn’t woken up by a call about his nomination for best director on Thursday morning. “My cat needed to be a fed,” he tells THR. Nebraska, which received five nominations, took some time to get to the screen as Payne didn’t want to do another road trip movie right after Sideways. “Things work out,” says Payne. “The fact that it was made now gives us this version, and I’m so happy with this version. Bruce Dern is an actor used in this role at the right time in his life.” Payne, who spends most of his time in Omaha, adds: “It’s a small film in a minor key and I’m glad it’s finding an audience.”
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Nebraska screenwriter Bob Nelson called his Globe nomination for best screenplay “exciting and unexpected.” It was so unexpected he admitted he didn’t even set an alarm for the morning. After being woken up by a call from a producer of the film, Nelson spoke to his mom on the phone. “It was in the local news up in Seattle, so they were all talking about it,” he said. Nelson, who wrote the script more than a decade ago, says the nomination made him think of when he first penned the story. “So many years ago, something like this wouldn’t be a thought in my mind,” he said of his nomination. “It took a while, but we got there.”
“I never knew any of this would happen,” says Bruce Dern, nominated for best actor for his role in Nebraska. “I knew we could make the movie. We finished a year ago today, I think. Here we are a year later.” Dern, who has already received several honors for his work in Payne’s film, says that he was the first person Payne considered for the role, many years ago, but that the timing may not have been right back then. “Alexander once said that he hired me for the hair alone. I didn’t have this kind of hair 10 years ago,” he tells THR with a laugh. “It’s been an extraordinary journey for me. When you make a movie, you have no idea what it’s going to do, and with my track record you have no idea it’s even going to come out!”
Nebraska‘s June Squibb, who was nominated for best supporting actress, says she woke up just before the Globe nominations were announced, and at first wasn’t going to watch them. “But then I decided I would, and when they called my name, I just sort of sat there and giggled,” she tells THR. Squibb, who plays the crass wife of Dern’s character, says that Payne’s film is so wonderful because it can’t really be categorized under just drama. “It’s very, very funny. I think the film is much more — it’s not just a drama. There’s a lot in it.”
Rush
Rush‘s Daniel Bruhl was in Sienna, Italy, when he heard about his nomination for best supporting actor in a motion picture. “I don’t really know what time it is. I lost my voice yesterday when the SAG Award nominations were announced and it’s sure to get worse today,” he told THR.
Ron Howard, the director of Rush, says the film’s nomination for best drama came as a “fantastic surprise.” “I had no idea where we stood in such a competitive and dynamic movie year. I didn’t know if we were lost in the shuffle or if we were still part of the conversation,” he says. Howard, in the Canary Islands while shooting In the Heart of the Sea, said he was in the shower when the nominations were announced. “I sort of stumbled out of the shower and picked up my phone and saw it on Twitter,” he says. Adds the director: “I appreciate the HFPA keeping us as part of the conversation because it’s something that I can’t say that I was expecting. It’s been an underdog, labor-of-love project since the beginning.”
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Producer Brian Grazer wasn’t just “psyched” about this best picture drama nomination for Rush, he was validated that the racing movie, which was released in September to great reviews but seemed to, at least initially, have been left in the dust of the awards race, was getting a second look. “It makes it feel like the movie and Ron’s work resonated, that it wasn’t forgotten. I like that he did something that is so different than what he normally does and that he got recognized for it.”
He was overjoyed for Daniel Bruhl’s nomination for best supporting actor category. “He plays a character that has so much internal strength but isn’t a sexy character. It’s a noble portrayal.”
Grazer wasn’t expecting any nominations, he said, so he slept through the announcement. He awoke to a busy email chain between Howard, writer Peter Morgan, Imagine co-chairman Michael Rosenberg, Working Title’s Eric Fellner and Universal’s Donna Langley.
He soon after talked to Howard, who is shooting on location in the Canary Islands. “He left so validated and so happy, you could hear it in his voice, that a movie that he put so much into got recognized today. So many good movies came out between Rush and today — that’s what made hearing the news so surprising.”
♦♦♦♦♦
Despite receiving a SAG nomination for her portrayal of Mary Poppins author P.L. Travers on Wednesday, Emma Thompson told THR on Thursday that she was not thinking about the Golden Globes announcements since she was knee-deep in promotional work for Saving Mr. Banks. Even when she received her Golden Globe nomination for best actress in a motion picture, drama, she then had to jump to a rehearsal with the New York Philharmonic for a spring show of Sweeney Todd, and do more Banks promotion.
“You can turn off and just focus on what you’re doing,” Thompson says. “That’s the best way to get on. And then it’s lovely surprise.”
One of the first people to call her was fellow actress Kate Winslet, herself a nominee for Labor Day. “She said ‘Hooray, we can do another red carpet and have a couple of martinis!’ “
Thompson, however, was going to curtail her celebrating tonight since she had not one, but two Q&As to do in support of Banks. “I’ll have a drink, but it had better not be a big one or else I won’t make much sense.”
As to how Travers would have reacted to the movie and her portrayal, Thompson replied: “I think she would have liked the suits. And I think she would have liked that this was about her. She was an extraordinarily complicated woman and she felt she was important culturally.”
House of Cards creator Beau Willimon made a point to shut off his phone, opting to find out about the Netflix series’ four nominations in a more natural way. Willimon, previously nominated for The Ides of March, left all the curtains open in his room in L.A. — “I figured when the sun rises, the rays will make their way across my bed and to my closed eyes and hopefully that’ll wake me up and then I’ll check my phone.” It was all good news, with Willimon expressing happiness over Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright and Corey Stoll’s acting nominations — particularly Stoll. “I am so happy for Corey. His story in season one was so compelling,” a chipper Willimon says of the actor’s heartbreaking turn as Peter Russo. “The plan always was for [Peter Russo] to meet his demise but it was so hard to stick to my guns on that because he was just dazzling us with every episode. It’s a testament to what a wonderful actor he was that for a lot of people, one of the most heart-wrenching moments in season one was seeing his story come to its conclusion.” The secretive showrunner, currently in post on the new episodes, would only hint that season two (premiering Valentine’s Day), sees “Francis and Claire continue their ruthless rise to power.”
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Orange Is the New Black star Taylor Schilling, who was recognized with a nomination for best actress in a TV series drama, says: “This is a pretty great day! I feel so lucky to go to work and get paid for this job — I love it so much. Yes, it’s a lot of hard work, but also a lot of luck. Is our show a comedy or drama? The answer from me — I’m just an actor — is that I’m just one small part in making something happen, no different. When a story is written in an emotionally intelligent way, so deeply connected with so much emotional logic, there’s nothing I can do other than tell the story. It doesn’t really matter, from my perspective. It’s kind of up to other people to craft the tone of the show! Wherever [my character] Piper is in that moment, I don’t have to try to be anything else. My part is to let the story filter through my aperture. I’m the lucky girl. I’m celebrating by seeing some friends this afternoon and tonight. And then there’s the planning for my dress. … If I wear orange to the Globes, you’ll know I’ve been kidnapped and held against my will.”
Scott Rudin, who produced three Golden Globe-nominated films — Captain Phillips, Inside Llewyn Davis and Frances Ha — tells THR: “Making anything good these days is a staggering achievement and to have three movies this year that are among the best we’ve ever made? It’s wonderful. And they’re all different — a tiny black and white movie [Frances Ha], a very tough-minded movie about globalization with a Somali kid from Minnesota [Barkhad Abdi, who received a supporting actor nom], and then another on a very unlikely subject [folk music]. The biggest thing for me is figuring out: Who am I excited to work with? When we get in trouble, who’s going to be there with you and get you out of trouble? Llewyn Davis is my favorite Coen brothers film. They made a 100 percent authentic movie. There’s an open-heartedness, and I think that’s because so much of it is music this gives you access to the lead character. It’s very moving to people. The Coens are brilliant with American roots music — that’s where they live. And for us to find our lead after a long search [Globe nominee Oscar Isaac] — a guy who wasn’t just one of a few, but literally the only one who could do it? That was also incredible. I’m very proud.”
Inside Llewyn Davis‘ Oscar Isaac says he has a “family that is very excited” so there was no way he would have been able to ignore the fact that the nominations came out this morning. Isaac, who was nominated for best actor in a drama, was on NBC’s Today when the nominations were announced. “It was a bit of a gamble. It was the kind of thing where I’m on, and they keep me around. If I get nominated, I come back out, but if I didn’t get nominated, I’d slink away,” he says. He adds that the awards love has come as a surprise to him because while making the Coen brothers film, he felt so absorbed into the New York ’60s-set world that “it was easy to take for granted that anyone would even see it. The huge reactions in L.A. and New York, and now this, all of it is surprising.” The film itself got three nominations.
Jared Leto, nominated for best supporting actor in a motion picture for his work in Dallas Buyers Club, tells THR: “This is absolutely insane. I’m out on a tour bus right now heading …somewhere. I don’t even know! This year has been crazy. We played Chicago last night — we are finishing the 30 Seconds to Mars tour now — we released a new album, I directed three music videos, we’ve already won a bunch of awards for Dallas Buyers Club, and now this? There’s a lot to be grateful for. To do this level of creative work, to share an amazing story — it’s a great thing. I hadn’t done a film in six years, so it really is about having gratitude. I think when you’re a musician, you have to do everything. You’re much more responsible for many different aspects of the project, so maybe I got used to the stress! But it’s about sharing and celebrating your work around the world, and I couldn’t be prouder.”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, a double nominee for best actress in comedy series, Veep, and best actress in a motion picture, musical or comedy, Enough Said, told THR: “No shit, it’s a been a crazy few days! The whole thing is so bizarre, head-spinny and skin-pinchy. I’ve just been told that Helen Mirren and Judi Dench are the only others to receive TV and film nominations in the same year. I’m not complaining! I think Enough Said exceeded everyone’s expectations. And making this movie, the work of it, was very life-changing for me. Working on these characters with Nicole [Holofcener] and Jim [Gandolfini] was exceptional and triumphant. To have these accolades too is beyond my wildest dreams. When you pour your heart and soul into something as an actor, and it’s appreciated, it’s truly a great feeling. And I just left London, where I’d been filming Veep. [Creator Armando Ianucci] has been emailing me today to congratulate me. It’s a been a pretty wonderful week!”
Modern Family co-creator Chris Lloyd was alerted to the series’ fourth consecutive Golden Globe series nomination, as many are, by opening up his email and seeing the word “congratulations.” “I assumed that the body of the email wasn’t going to be, ‘For not getting nominated, asshole,’ he joked to THR, acknowledging how he never tires of this kind of awards show recognition (Lloyd has more Emmy wins than any other writer-producer in history). What’s more, the famously relaxed January award show is one that he not only attends but enjoys, noting that there’s a “lightness to the whole evening.” Lloyd adds: “We get to sit with the cast, have a glass of wine and have some laughs. It’s just a lively, fun, ridiculous night, and that is not to diminish the honor, which we feel as well.”
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Steve Coogan, nominated for best screenplay for Philomena, which was also nominated for best drama, says: “I’m very pleased. It’s good we took such care with this script. It was a labor of love, and I’m absolutely delighted. I’m especially very pleased for [co-writer] Jeff Pope — he’s been beavering away at it for years! It was the first thing we’ve written together. We wrote in the same room, hammering it out together. Am I surprised by the controversy surrounding the Catholics who are upset? I think certain ones can understand what the film is about, the more forgiving ones. But there are some old-school Catholics who think in a very un-Christian way that they have to man the barricades. The Spanish Inquisition would be more forgiving! They like to see it as a black-and-white issue. But there are nuances in the film; there is recognition of spiritual worth and anyone with half a brain can see the film is conciliatory in tone. But if there’s a pot of controversy — Harvey [Weinstein] is certainly there stirring it! I loved working with Judi Dench too. She’s actually supposed to be coming down for dinner at some point. I loved going to work with her every day. It was a very natural, very calm experience, there was no rushing around. We had a laugh between takes, but I bet she feels she has said everything she wants to say to me at this point.”
Tatiana Maslany, nominated for best actress in a drama series for her work in Orphan Black tells THR: “This is really exciting! Our fans are really supportive. I think the show speaks to a lot to a lot different demographics from couples in their forties, to young girls and nerdy guys. It’s a cool, mixed demo. The biggest change in my life from this show is getting to work on a piece of work that challenges me every day, and getting to explore all thee characters. Also, my work ethic and the limits I can put on myself have also definitely changed. My Globes dress? That’s probably the most anxiety I feel about all of this, it’s so out of my realm. I would very happily not do the gown thing!”
Parenthood‘s Monica Potter, who scored her first Golden Globe nomination, for lead actress in a drama series, told THR: “I was getting ready to go downtown this morning to get some flowers, really early. I got up and went to the kitchen and saw that I’d gotten a text from Billy Bush saying “Congrats!” Then I looked online and the nominations had been posted. I hadn’t had my coffee yet, my eyes were blurry, I looked at the site. Did they say my name?? I went and woke up my husband — I think he thought someone was breaking into the house — and I asked him, “What does it say?” His eyes filled with tears. It was one of those moments where we thought, “This is the coolest thing.” Today is the 10-year anniversary of when we met. We’re going to Disney on Ice tonight to celebrate. It’s weird, I’ve always loved the HFPA. In some weird way, I feel like I fit in with them. I find them so entertaining. I’m just so excited. I feel like the boy in the plastic bubble! Everything is hazy. Seriously, what’s going on??”
Julie Delpy, nominated for best actress in a comedy or musical for Before Midnight, says she’s “pretty tired” because her cat woke her up very early, before the nominations were announced. “My cat is senile and I have to deal with him. He wakes me up at 4 a.m. every morning,” she tells THR. The actress, who calls Before Midnight “a labor of love,” says she was very surprised by the nomination. “It’s really, really amazing because I wasn’t expecting anything. The film came out nine months ago,” she says. “I’m still stunned. I’m getting 18 texts in a minute!” However, her feline friend wasn’t about to let the attention be shifted away from him. “I was dealing with cat issues. My cat peed everywhere. It quickly brought me back to my reality.”
“I was very much sleeping. I didn’t know that [Globe nominations] were being announced this morning,” says best actress in a musical or comedy nominee Greta Gerwig. She says her phone rang, but she turned it off because she thought “it’s never a good thing when people are calling this early. In my mind it’s people who you owe money to.” The actress says her nomination doesn’t feel real. “I keep expecting someone to call me and say, ‘Oh, we made a mistake!’ ” she says with a laugh. The Frances Ha star tells THR she’s loved awards shows since she was very young, and always tunes in. “I’ve watched the shows since I was very little and I would dress up for it and drink sparkling apple cider out of champagne flutes,” she says.
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“You work on these for so long. It’s a team effort and I’m really proud of our team,” said Frozen director Chris Buck, who was in Mexico City with co-director Jennifer Lee for the film’s opening. The first-time Golden Globe nominees, up for best animated feature film, also exchanged messages with Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Tony-winner Robert Lopez, who were nominated for the film’s original song, “Let It Go.”
“The crew has working so hard; It means the world,” said Lee. “John [Lasseter] sets the bar really high, so we are over the moon.” Asked if they were surprised that Disney Animation’s sister company, Pixar Animation Studios, didn’t receive a nomination for Monsters University, Lee responded, “We loved Monsters U. For us it’s tough, we wish it was a part of it.”
The nod for Frozen follows a 90th anniversary celebration of Disney Animation, which occurred on Tuesday at the studio. “We embrace the legacy of the Disney films,” said Buck of Frozen. “We grew up loving this type of Disney movie.”
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The Croods producers Kristine Belson and Jane Hartwell, who saw their film receive a nomination for best animated feature, said: “We are so incredibly honored that The Croods has been recognized by the HFPA. Our writer/directors Chris Sanders and Kirk DeMicco created a truly universal and original story about change and the power of family that audiences around the world embraced as their own — making this nomination particularly meaningful to us.”
“We’ll be celebrating with the crew,” Croods co-director DeMicco said. “They gave us the confidence and trust and every detail came for the artists. Over 300 people worked on the movie.”
Of his third Golden Globe nomination, co-director Sanders emphasized how much everyone at DreamWorks Animation appreciates the nod. “Making an original film is never easy,” he said.
The pair is already working on a sequel to its prehistoric tale. “This was a universal, family, human story,” Sanders said. “The most motivation to work on the next film is the reaction from the audience.”
That included an emotional response earlier this year, when the nonprofit National Fatherhood Initiative presented its Fatherhood Award to Grug, the father in The Croods. Sanders recalled a moment when during the event, a teen whispered to him, “Thank you for helping me understand my dad.”
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Fellow animated film nominee Despicable Me 2 producer and Illumination Entertainment CEO Chris Meledandri said, “It’s thrilling to see the work of Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud and my producing partner Janet Healy and all the artists recognized with such strong films. The heart of the film is the characters.” Of the animation landscape, he said, “You see filmmakers striving to make movies that feel very distinctive. … I think it will continue to keep the audience enthusiastic about this medium. Pierre is here from Paris, we are about to do our morning Skype connection with [Illumination Mac Guff] Paris. We’ll absolutely kick it off with a celebration that will span the 6,000 miles.”
Asghar Farhadi, director of The Past, nominated for best foreign language film, told THR, via translator: “I was jet-lagged last night and I had a lot of time to think about everything. I knew that I would hear about it today, but I didn’t know if it would be in the morning. I was in a bed when the phone rang and I heard the news.” The director adds that all over the world, he’s seen a similar reaction from moviegoers who watch his film: “When the film is finished, some of the audience come to me and they just look into my eyes. It seems that they have a lot to say but at the same time they don’t want to be talking to anyone at the moment.”
Don Cheadle, nominated for best actor in a TV series, comedy, joked to THR about having an “In Anticipation of the Announcement Party” at 3 a.m. this morning. “There was a lot of drugs. It was like a bacchanal, so I can’t really remember everything that happened, but I believe I was nominated this morning for a … what was it?” teased Cheadle, who was actually getting ready to take his kid to school. “At first I thought it was Golden Grahams, like the cereal,” he continues. “If there’s a prize of lifetime cereal, I’ll take that too.” On a more serious note, he told THR, “It feels nice to have the recognition that this hopefully brings, not just to me, but to the show.” Cheadle, who wrapped up shooting the third season of House of Lies yesterday, says his celebration will be getting to relax and not working 14-hour days.
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New Girl star Zooey Deschanel was coming off of a 12-hour shift when she found out about her third nomination for the Fox comedy. “I started work at 6 p.m. last night,” she said. “I didn’t bring my phone to set, and then I was going back to my trailer to change out of my work clothes, I thought ‘Man, I have so many text messages.’ ” On location for the series’ upcoming Super Bowl episode, Deschanel would only say that it’s “very big” and a bit of a departure from a typical episode. A member of TV’s least-changed category from last year, Deschanel also noted her fondness for the sorority: “Those are my girls. I’m in such good company!”
“It’s rather marvelous having this thee years in row,” said Downton Abbey creator and executive producer Julian Fellowes, in New York to promote the January return of the series to stateside broadcaster PBS. A busy time for the creator, he also debuts the annual Christmas special in the U.K. on Dec. 25. “I’ve never done anything like Downton Abbey, so it’s kind of odd to be on the inside of everyone embracing this series.” As for the special, Fellowes assured THR that fans would not be dealt a similar shock as last Christmas when he killed off a lead character: “No, no. They can keep calm.”
Downton Abbey executive producer Gareth Neame had NBC’s Today on this morning in anticipation of the announcement and was “relieved and delighted” to find out about the show’s nomination for best TV series, drama. “As far as we know, no British drama has ever been nominated in this category before, so it continues to be quite a phenomenon,” Neame told THR of the PBS series, a Globes nominee for each of its three seasons. Neame also noted that it’s a very impressive time for television and sees the competition increasing each year. “I do concur with the comments about the Golden Age of television. There are so many shows to admire and really there are half a dozen shows that don’t make it into the roster that could.” He will celebrate the nomination tonight in New York, where he’s currently doing a press tour for the upcoming season of Downton.
Liev Schreiber received his second Golden Globe nomination, this time for his lead role on Showtime’s Ray Donovan, an accomplishment the actor hopes will bring more eyeballs to the drama. “It will mean that, hopefully, people like what we’re doing on the program and maybe bring some more people to the program who didn’t see it the first year.” For Schreiber, the Globes is a big party: “I always like the Globes because there’s a sense of humor and there’s a sense of fun and playfulness.” But come Jan. 12, the actor has one person he hopes will take home the statuette: co-star Jon Voight.
Voight, scoring his 10th Golden Globe nomination (he has won three times), was excited to be recognized for his work on the Showtime series. “My friends at Showtime called me as soon as it happened,” the veteran thespian recalls. “I could hardly talk but it’s always very nice.” As far as celebration plans go, Voight says he and fellow Globe nominee Schreiber will be filming a Super Bowl commercial later in the day: “We’ll probably have a little toast.”
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Composer Alex Heffes was nominated for best original score for Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. “When I heard, I was in the studio in London writing music for a film on global warming.” Heffes was at the film’s London world premiere last week when Mandela’s death was announced as the closing credits rolled. “His daughters were there, and it was very moving.” The key to Mandela’s score was pacing: “It was important not to overstate the music, to have a long build, so that In the scene where he’s released from prison after 27 years, you did have permission to just let the emotion out. Then the pace picks up when he becomes president — it becomes a thriller, in a way.”
Alex Ebert, nominated for original score for All Is Lost, was shaken awake by his girlfriend. “She was all choked up — I thought our little baby girl had just done something really spectacular, like recited pi [an irrational number that continues forever]. She said I was nominated, and I said, ‘Are you serious? Are you serious?’ in a very high voice. It’s a dream of a scenario.”
Sally Hawkins, nominated for best supporting actress in a motion picture for her work in Blue Jasmine, says: I’m very jet-lagged, so I think this is all really happening, I suppose it is because I’m talking to The Hollywood Reporter! I’m completely floored. I just felt lucky to be in the same room as Woody Allen. Cate [Blanchett] is also so extraordinarily good — I was just so delighted to be asked to join the party. Andrew Dice Clay, he’s so humble and bright, and has a real energy, he’s very charismatic. And Woody adores him! He was so good about sprinkling in all these different comedy people with different worlds. Louis C.K. is also a phenomenon! In terms of celebrating, I don’t drink much — also, I literally just got in from Christmas shopping — but I may allow myself just one glass of champagne.”
Showtime’s Masters of Sex co-star Michael Sheen, nominated for best actor in a television series, drama, opted for more sleep over the good news this morning. “There were some phone calls at about 5:45 a.m., but I didn’t know what it was about because I didn’t know the nominations were coming out this morning, so I just ignored those phone calls and went back to sleep,” Sheen told THR. He also expressed difficulty separating any one element from the freshman series — which is up for best television series, drama — because it is such a strong ensemble: “I feel like any one individual nomination is a reflection of the work of everybody, but I’m very pleased that I get to be the one to represent.” To celebrate, Sheen says he’s getting together with his managers and agents today and will “probably have a little eggnog latte to celebrate in true L.A. style.”
Thomas Vinterberg, director of nominated foreign-language film The Hunt, didn’t believe his friend Anthony Dod Mantle, Oscar-winning cinematographer of Slumdog Millionaire, when he told Vinterberg he’d been honored. “He called me from a South African toilet, and since I didn’t find that a reliable source, I had my daughter check your home page at THR.com to verify it. I’m proud and I’m happy and amazed that this film we did back in our backyard in Scandinavia has been welcomed into a very exclusive club by the Golden Globe people. I was nominated quite a few years ago [for The Celebration in 1999], and it was a great night.” Is he impressed by this year’s remarkably high-quality Globe nominations? “I couldn’t agree more — obviously!”
Joaquin Phoenix, who was nominated for best actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy, for his work in Her, one of three nominations the film received, said: “Thanks to the Hollywood Foreign Press for recognizing Her. Spike [Jonze] wrote a wonderful story and I couldn’t be more pleased for him.”
Matthew McConaughey, nominated for best actor in a motion picture, drama, said: “I’m excited and honored that the HFPA has recognized my performance in Dallas Buyers Club. Ron Woodroof was a revolutionary for the human spirit, and I was blessed to tell his story. I’m looking forward to spending the evening at the Golden Globes on January 12th.”
“Our thanks to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for honoring Starz with nominations for both The White Queen and Dancing on the Edge, said Starz CEO, Chris Albrecht, whose channel received a record six nods this year. “We are incredibly proud of our talented actors and producing partners who have been recognized for their achievements.”
All Is Lost‘s Robert Redford, nominated for lead actor in a motion picture, drama, said: “This was unexpected, but well received. J.C. Chandor has created a unique and wonderfully designed frame for me to step into as an actor. I enjoyed the experience, I enjoyed him, and I am appreciative of this acknowledgment by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.”
Perennial lead actor in a comedy series nominee Jim Parsons, of The Big Bang Theory, said: “Thank you to the Hollywood Foreign Press. I know it sounds cliché, forgive me it’s early, but this is really such an embarrassment of riches. In our first episodes of Big Bang, I felt there was something special about the show but I never imagined any of this. I’m truly grateful and especially thrilled the show was nominated.”
First-time Golden Globe-nominee Kerry Washington, recognized for her lead actress role on ABC’s Scandal, said: “I’m enormously grateful to the Hollywood Foreign Press for this honor. It’s humbling to be nominated alongside such talented and hard-working women whose work inspires me.”
Philomena‘s Judi Dench, nominated for best actress in a motion picture, drama, said: “What great news! I’m delighted, and hugely honored to be in such magnificent company. And without the inspiration of Philomena herself I wouldn’t of course be receiving this recognition.”
Idris Elba, a dual nominee for his roles in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom and Luther, said: “I’m truly humbled and honored to be acknowledged for two projects that, though very different from one another, are both extremely personal and special to me. Thank you to the Hollywood Foreign Press for your support, and I would also like to give a special thank you to Mr. Mandela, who will be forever missed.”
Jonathan Sehring, president of IFC/Sundance Selects, said of their nominated films, Blue Is the Warmest Color and Frances Ha: We are absolutely thrilled that the HFPA has recognized Frances Ha and Blue Is the Warmest Color. Greta Gerwig is illuminating as Frances and has cemented her reputation as an incredible talent and a lead actress to watch. Additionally we have been so proud this year to work on Abdellatif Kechiche’s Palme d’Or winner featuring two extremely brave performances: breakthrough actress of the year Adèle Exarchopoulos and one of France’s leading young stars, Léa Seydoux.
Additional reporting by Rebecca Ford, Carolyn Giardina, Lesley Goldberg, Gregg Kilday, Borys Kit, Michael O’Connell, Philiana Ng, Lacey Rose, Bryn Sandberg, Tim Appelo and Stacey Wilson
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