Golden Globes 2021 Winners

The 78th Annual Golden Globes Awards, honoring achievements in film and television was held on Sunday February 28th with a live bi-coastal broadcast on NBC that featured in-person and virtual attendees and nominees. The ceremony was hosted by Tina Fey from The Rainbow Room in New York City and Amy Poehler at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles where the awards were traditionally held pre-Covid. We are very proud of all the astonishing work our customers do in every field, but let’s take a special look at our customers who were Golden Globes 2021 winners!

Golden Globes 2021 Winners: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama

And the winner is Chadwick Boseman in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”  Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom was directed by George C. Wolfe and written by Ruben Santiago-Hudson. It was based on the play of the same name by August Wilson. The film and its source play focus on Ma Rainey an influential Blues singer and dramatizes a turbulent recording session in Chicago in 1927. Ma Rainey was brilliantly portrayed by Viola Davis while Chadwick Boseman was truly stunning as Levee Green, the band’s hot-headed trumpet player. Boseman died in August 2020 while the film was in post-production. That makes Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Boseman’s final film appearance. The film is dedicated to his memory.

Boseman’s widow Simone accepted his award in a beautiful inspiring speech from her home. On his behalf, his wife thanked God, his parents, his ancestors, and his team including makeup artist Sian Richards whose cosmetic line we feature at MWS. We carry the very cosmetics Sian used on Boseman and we were lucky to host Sian for an in-store seminar a while back. Simone also encouraged us to celebrate those we love and we love Chadwick Boseman!

The Costumes

The costume designer for Ma Rainey was one of our all-time favorites, Ann Roth.  In an interview with Fashionista back in December, the Oscar and Tony award-winning Roth said she collaborated with Viola Davis “on accurately distilling Ma Rainey’s ownership of her sexuality and success through her wardrobe.” Roth said Ma “had every intention of treating herself like a queen and her intentionally lavish wardrobe also serves as armor to help her navigate often hostile white spaces.” Roth says the wardrobe was very expensive and much of it was hand-built by Roth.

Roth told Fashionista that she had lots of character-building discussions with Boseman about his character’s dapper three-piece suit and fancy shoes. She said “he got into it. he enjoyed the process of determining the origin of the clothes to help his performance.” Roth called Boseman “very responsive, a very, very good actor to play with.”

Congratulations to the entire cast and crew of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Many more awards to come I’m sure.

 Golden Globes 2021 Winners: Best Screenplay, Motion Picture

And the winner is Aaron Sorkin, “The Trial of The Chicago 7”. Sorkin not only wrote the screenplay but also directed this film. The film was based on the infamous 1969 trial of a group of anti-Vietnam War protesters. They were charged by the federal government with conspiracy and crossing state lines with the intention of inciting riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The star-studded ensemble cast shot the film in Chicago and New Jersey.

Sorkin told Vanity Fair that he learned about the events depicted in the film from Steven Spielberg in 2006. He said, “Spielberg told me he wanted to make a movie about the riots and the trial that followed but I had no previous knowledge of these events. I didn’t know what the hell he was talking about.” Sorkin must have done his research because the award-winning script was written in 2007. It took a very long time to get the film funded and made. The 1969 trial transfixed the nation and sparked a conversation about mayhem intended to undermine the U.S. government. Who knew the subject of the film would feel so current?

The Costumes

No facet of late 1960’s fashion goes untouched in “The Trial of The Chicago 7.” Costume designer Susan Lyall told Vanity Fair “you don’t always get a really cool 1960’s movie with clothes that I happened to be incredibly partial to, with a cast of really great men.”  Lyall, who worked with Sorkin on “Molly’s Game” in 2017 said she “used historical images as a jumping-off point to begin creating the individual wardrobes for each of the characters, some staying truer to life than others.”

Lyall said that Sacha Baron Cohen who portrayed Abbie Hoffman “was concerned about remaining true to Hoffman with his wardrobe choices. We tried to authenticate it as much as possible.” Key looks included a judo jacket and a fringed leather moto jacket. The costume designer also recreated the iconic American flag shirt Hoffman was wearing when he was arrested in 1968 and charged with flag desecration.

Lyall used seasonal clothing and era-appropriate palettes to denote the passage of time for the five-month-long trial. Lyall said there were lighthearted fashion moments that weren’t included in the original script. “Cohen approached me about recreating a true-to-life instance in which Hoffman and Rubin dress in judges’ robes worn over police shirts to taunt Judge Julius Hoffman, played by Frank Langella. He suggested we present it to Sorkin and I think it was worth including it in the film.”

 Golden Globes 2021 Winners: Best Performance By An Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made For Television

And the winner is Mark Ruffalo, “I Know This Much Is True”. The miniseries was co-written and directed by Derek Cianfrance. It was based on the 1998 novel of the same name by Wally Lamb. Mark Ruffalo is riveting playing identical twin brothers Dominick and Thomas Birdsey.

The story takes place in Three Rivers Connecticut in the 1990s. It was actually filmed in 2019 throughout the Hudson Valley. The series featured lots of local Hudson Valley actors, residents, and politicians. I even scored some background work in a couple of scenes for my husband’s 13-year-old grandson. Which of course led him to believe that show business is indeed the path for him. My husband and I think the true lure for him is actually Krafty!

The Costumes

Costume designer Kasia Walicka-Maimone (Moonrise Kingdom and Capote) had specific challenges designing for one actor playing twins. Ruffalo lost 15 pounds to shoot the role of Dominick the brother who cares for his paranoid schizophrenic brother Thomas. He then took six weeks off and gain 30 pounds to shoot his scenes as Thomas. Walicka-Maimone was able to design costumes that reflected the two brothers’ differences and similarities. She also had a special opportunity to design period pieces for flashback scenes.

 Golden Globes 2021 Winners

Our deepest thanks to all of our customers, not just winners, and nominees, but educators, crafters, and creators everywhere. We are very happy to be a small part of facilitating the magic you create.

We are deeply grateful for your continued support as we weather the continued challenges for artists and businesses alike.