More than any other awards show (probably), the Golden Globes likes to throw in more than a few upsets every year. Sometimes these champions turn the tide of public opinion right before the Academy Awards or bring attention to television and film that would otherwise go overlooked. Other times, they have no effect whatsoever. This year, Netflix got its ass kicked; regardless, a lot of worthy creatives were invited onstage to accept a little golden statue that they will forever cherish—a reminder that dreams come true at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills (just ask the array of politicians that have had less-than-admirable experiences there). The following list ranks the most unexpected winners from the 2020 Golden Globes.
Cover Photo: FREDERIC J. BROWN / Contributor (Getty Images)
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unexpected globe winners
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10. Taron Egerton, Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical For 'Rocketman'
Basically everyone thought this was going to Eddie Murphy (Dolemite Is My Name), and even if it didn't, the category is still populated with the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), Daniel Craig (Knives Out), and Roman Griffin Davis (Jojo Rabbit). It was a worthy performance, but Sir Elton John's reaction says it all.
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9. Patricia Arquette, Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series For 'The Act'
Patricia Arquette beat out Meryl Streep (Big Little Lies), Emily Watson (Chernobyl), Toni Collette (Unbelievable), and Helena Bonham Carter (The Crown). At least three of those were some of the biggest shows on television this past year featuring top tier talent. This was just one of the Hulu wins that surprised a lot of people.
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8. Olivia Coleman, Best Actress in a Drama Series For 'The Crown'
Olivia Coleman was up against Jodie Comer (Killing Eve), Reese Witherspoon (The Morning Show), Nicole Kidman (Big Little Lies), and Jennifer Aniston (The Morning Show). Coleman is a fantastic actress and we're happy...but even she had already started drinking before the winner was announced.
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7. 'Missing Link,' Best Animated Motion Picture
Missing Link, made by the Oregon studio Laika, defeated all of the big-budget animations: Toy Story 4, Frozen 2, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, and The Lion King. Enough said.
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6. Brad Pitt, Best Supporting Actor For 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'
In his acceptance speech, Brad Pitt referred to his fellow nominees as gods and that's what they are: acting gods. Anthony Hopkins (The Two Popes), Joe Pesci (The Irishman), Al Pacino (The Irishman), Tom Hanks (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood). It's great that Pitt has his first Globe since the '90s, but this one is a little shocking.
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5. Laura Dern, Best Supporting Actress For 'Marriage Story'
It's safe to say that Netflix and everyone else thought Marriage Story was going to do much better at the 2020 Golden Globes. If we would've had to guess which award the movie would've picked up, it wouldn't have been just Best Supporting Actress.
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4. '1917,' Best Motion Picture and Best Director
Not only did 1917 win Best Picture over hot contenders The Irishman and Marriage Story but Sam Mendes won Best Director over legends like Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino. That's great press for a film that's scheduled for wide later this week.
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3. Ramy Youssef, Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy Series For 'Ramy'
This was an awesome underdog win. Ramy Youssef himself acknowledged in his acceptance speech that very few people know who he is. As one of Hulu's biggest wins of the night (the first win overall), this set the tone for the entire show.
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2. Awkwafina, Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical For 'The Farewell'
Awkwafina won over the likes of Beanie Feldstein (Booksmart), Emma Thompson (Late Night), Cate Blanchett (Where'd You Go, Bernadette), and Ana de Armas (Knives Out) to become the first woman of Asian descent to ever win in this category.
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1. Renée Zellweger, Best Performance By an Actress in a Motion Picture For 'Judy'
A lot of people thought Renée Zellweger's career was over before Judy. The actress herself seemed to accept this award with that idea permeating throughout her mind. The Globes loves an underdog; while Zellweger's performance was great, everyone has been talking about Saoirse Ronan (Little Women), Scarlett Johansson (Marriage Story), and Charlize Theron (Bombshell) leading up to the ceremony. It'll be interesting to see who walks away with the Oscar, given the much larger voting pool.
