RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:
The Golden Globes were held last night. Ricky Gervais was the host, which meant the live audience of Hollywood A-listers must have been prepared for this.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "77TH GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS TELECAST")
RICKY GERVAIS: Let's have a laugh at your expense, shall we? Remember - they're just jokes. We're all going to die soon, and there's no sequel. So...
(LAUGHTER)
MARTIN: Gervais dished it out in classic style to just about everyone in the room and beyond. Even so, this opening of the awards season in Hollywood still managed to lavish itself with praise. Here's NPR's Mandalit del Barco.
MANDALIT DEL BARCO, BYLINE: Once upon a time, last night, the movie "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood" won three Golden Globes, including for best motion picture, musical or comedy. Director Quentin Tarantino also won for writing the screenplay for his nostalgic take on 1970s actors and Charles Manson and Sharon Tate. Afterwards, Tarantino told reporters he had plans to hang it up as a director after this, his tenth film.
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QUENTIN TARANTINO: Yeah, I do like the idea of a 10-film filmography, where I've spent the last 30 years giving everything in the world that I have to it and then dropping the mic and saying, OK, that's it. And there's other things to do. So now I like the idea of being more of a writer and just me and my pen and a piece of paper and just kind of dealing that way.
DEL BARCO: Brad Pitt, who co-starred in the movie, took the prize for best supporting actor. Onstage, he thanked his parents.
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BRAD PITT: They're back in the Ozarks. I wanted to bring my mom, but I couldn't because any woman I stand next to they say I'm dating. And...
(LAUGHTER)
PITT: Just be awkward. All right, thank you.
(CHEERING)
PITT: Hey, if you see a chance to be kind to someone tomorrow, take it. I think we need it.
DEL BARCO: The World War I epic "1917" earned the Golden Globe Award for best motion picture drama, and Sam Mendes got the film award for best director. Backstage, he reiterated his push for seeing movies in theaters.
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SAM MENDES: I think it's up to filmmakers to make films that need to be seen on a big screen and to make an audience feel like if they don't see it on a big screen, they're going to miss out.
DEL BARCO: It was HBO that took home the most Golden Globes. Its series "Succession" won two awards, including for actor Brian Cox, who plays a rich patriarch and media titan. Backstage, Cox was asked if his character was based on real-life titan Rupert Murdoch.
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BRIAN COX: I'm playing Logan Roy. Logan Roy is totally our creation. Rupert Murdoch has [expletive] to do with it.
(LAUGHTER)
COX: And you can quote me on that.
DEL BARCO: Another HBO miniseries, "Chernobyl," won two awards. The woman who wrote the music for "Chernobyl," Hildur Guonadottir, won a Globe award for her score of the movie "Joker." The man who played Joker, Joaquin Phoenix, won the award for best performance by an actor in a motion picture drama. Backstage, he mixed it up with reporters, noting that the awards ceremony was catered with a vegan menu.
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JOAQUIN PHOENIX: I was so moved by the decision to make tonight plant-based. It was such an important step. The SAG Awards and Critics' Choice Awards and Governors Ball and whatever else there is needs to do it as well. That is a very important statement.
DEL BARCO: Actress Patricia Arquette urged Americans to vote in 2020. Onstage, she outlined some of the problems in the world going on the same night she won a Golden Globe for her performance in the TV series "The Act."
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "77TH GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS TELECAST")
PATRICIA ARQUETTE: A country on the brink of war - the United States of America - a president tweeting out a threat of 52 bombs, including cultural sites; and the continent of Australia on fire.
DEL BARCO: For her performance in "The Farewell," actress Awkwafina made history for being the first Asian American actress to win in her category, best performance by a film actress in a musical or comedy. Korean writer and director Bong Joon-ho picked up the best foreign language film for his movie "Parasite." Renee Zellweger earned the best film actress award for "Judy." She told reporters her favorite Judy Garland performance was the time she sang the "Battle Hymn Of The Republic" on TV.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC")
JUDY GARLAND: (Singing) His truth is marching on.
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RENEE ZELLWEGER: It just gives you chills. I mean, she took everything to another level, didn't she? She took something that was extraordinary and made it for all time - kind of like the woman herself, huh?
DEL BARCO: Next, it's on to the Oscars.
Mandalit del Barco, NPR News, Beverly Hills. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
