Amanda Seyfried will let her 4-year old up watch the ceremony for the first time – “it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity”, she admits. In London, Maria Bakalova plans todress up and “celebrate the way it should be celebrated”. Jane Levy, in Vancouver, will do the same – “I booked a hotel room. I’ll dress up and drink lots of champagne.”  Composer Jon Batiste will spend the night “on the couch with my new dog, Lulu. She’s blind and she’s my heart.” Josh O’Connor will stay in his flat making a list of people to thank, just in case he wins, “including mum and dad, of course.:” Elle Fanning will “pull an all-nighter”, while Nicholas Hoult, her co-star in the TV series The Great, will follow the show in style – “I’ll watch with a tuxedo top and some pajama pants.”
That’s how the 2021 class of first-time nominees is preparing for the 78^th Golden Globe Awards, this Sunday, February 28. For the first time in 78 years, the Party of the Year will be virtual, following the guidelines of these pandemic times.
Reunited across several time zones, in an HFPA sponsored Zoom Round Table moderated by HFPA member Aniko Navai, actors, directors, writers and musicians shared their reaction to becoming a first time Golden Globe nominee: Amanda Seyfried (Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama, MankAndra Day(Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama; Best Original Song, The United States Vs. Billie Holiday IIJudas and the Black MessiahThe GreatThe FatherHelena Zengel(Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture, News of the World(Best Actress in a TV Series, Comedy, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist) ;  Jon Batiste(Best Original Score, Soul) ; Josh O’Connor(Best Actor in a TV Series, Drama, The Crown(Best Original Song, “Io Si”, The Life Ahead)Leslie Odom, Jr. (Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture; Best Original Song, “Speak Now”, One Night in Miami…, Borat Subsequent MovieFilmThe Life Ahead, The GreatOne Night in MiamiTahar Rahim(Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama, The MauritanianVanessa KirbyPieces of a Woman).
Some of them were awake waiting for the nomination announcement – “I was following it and blacked out for a second when they said my name”, said Maria Bakalova. “A friend next to me was the one shouting “You’re nominated! You’re nominated!”. Many were fast asleep when the news came in. “My team had said that I should keep my phone on”, recalled Leslie Odom, Jr. Andra Day confessed that she was “deep asleep. I had slept late as most musicians do. My manager woke me.”
They all share the same emotion. “It’s really blowing my mind”, said composer Sam Ashworth. “All this movie stuff is really new to me.” “It was very emotional for me”, said Leslie Odom, Jr. “So much of my life is in Hamilton, and you recognized it, too. I shot that performance over three years ago and now here I am with One Night in Miami… it’s like a mash-up of my life.”
“This is very special to me”, says writer and director Florian Zeller. “It’s a joy to be recognized. It’s so good to have a space just for us, first-time nominees.” Jon Batiste took one step further The Creator has a masterplan and put us all together on this Zoom”
Tahar Rahim proposed an excellent plan: “I wish we could all be together. I propose that in a few months we get together and have some drinks.”
The 78th Annual Golden Globe® Awards, hosted by Tina Fey from the Rainbow Room in New York and Amy Poehler from The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, will air LIVE coast to coast on Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021, from 5-8 p.m. PT/8-11 p.m. ET on NBC and will be available to stream the next day on Peacock.
Watch it!