Golden Globes nominations: Sally Hawkins in, Oprah out
The Golden Globes showdown for supporting actress includes four names familiar to those who tuned into the Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations Wednesday — Lupita Nyong’o for “12 Years a Slave,” June Squibb for “Nebraska,” Jennifer Lawrence for “American Hustle” and Julia Roberts for “August: Osage County” — plus a new contender, Sally Hawkins of “Blue Jasmine.” The British actress unseated Oprah Winfrey, who had taken the fifth SAG slot for her role in “The Butler.”
Hawkins was nominated for her role as Ginger, the working-class sister to Cate Blanchett’s troubled socialite in Woody Allen’s “Blue Jasmine.” Speaking on the phone from London after a bout of Christmas shopping, Hawkins said she was caught “totally off guard” by the nomination. “I’m floored. I literally am on the floor, still. I haven’t really moved since when I first heard.”
“Blue Jasmine” represents Hawkins’ second collaboration with Allen, after “Cassandra’s Dream,” and her first time playing an American. “I was lucky enough to be working with a great accent coach,” she said, and after beginning her preparation in London, “I wanted to get to the States as quickly as possible to immerse myself in all things American. It’s so much a part of who [Ginger] is, and the last thing you want is to be worrying about the accent or for people to be watching worrying about the accent for you.”
Hawkins previously won a Globe for her breakout performance in the 2008 film “Happy-Go-Lucky.”
PHOTOS: Golden Globe 2014 top nominees
Newcomer Nyong’o was nominated for her role as the tortured plantation worker Patsey in Steve McQueen’s historical drama “12 Years a Slave,” based on the autobiography of Solomon Northup.
Speaking on the phone from Paris, the 30-year-old actress said she learned of her nomination over the radio and added, “I was just on a roller coaster last week, and it reminded me of that experience exactly: You go up, up, up, and the anticipation and the dread, and you’re regretting getting on the roller coaster. And then you start going down and it’s horrifying, but also really exhilarating at the same time.”
Of playing Patsey, Nyong’o said, “When I read the script, I was heartbroken by her and what she goes through, but I also knew that I couldn’t play her from a place of sentimentality, that I had to be practical with my playing her because she didn’t have the luxury of being sentimental about her pain. I think that was what got me through.”
LIST: Golden Globe nominations 2014
Squibb was recognized for her performance as the tough but tender wife Kate Grant in director Alexander Payne’s “Nebraska,” which stars Bruce Dern as an old curmudgeon who drags his adult son (Will Forte) on a road trip to collect a dubious sweepstakes prize. The Globe nomination is the first for the 84-year-old actress, who admitted to “giggling like crazy” upon learning of her nomination.
“I feel like it’s the culmination of this long career because I’ve done everything one could do on stage, cabaret, television, film, so this is wonderful,” she said.
Lawrence was nominated for her role as the fiery housewife Rosalyn Rosenfeld in David O. Russell’s con story “American Hustle,” which is loosely based on the FBI’s Abscam sting in the 1970s. Lawrence won lead actress at last year’s Globes for her role in Russell’s previous film, “Silver Linings Playbook,” and she was nominated for lead actress for “Winter’s Bone” in 2010.
FULL COVERAGE: Golden Globe nominations 2014
Roberts landed a Globe nod for her supporting role as Barbara Weston, the daughter of a domineering matriarch (Meryl Streep) in director John Wells’ adaptation of Tracy Letts’ Pulitzer- and Tony-winning play “August: Osage County.” A veteran of the Globes, Roberts previously won for her work in “Steel Magnolias,” “Pretty Woman” and “Erin Brockovich,” and she was nominated for “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” “Charlie Wilson’s War” and “Duplicity.”
Supporting performances passed over for this year’s Globes include Octavia Spencer in “Fruitvale Station,” Jennifer Garner in “Dallas Buyers Club” and Margo Martindale in “August: Osage County.”
The Golden Globe Awards will be presented Sunday, Jan. 12.
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