BEVERLY HILLS, USA – It was a golden night for Asian representation at the Globes on Sunday, January 5, as Shogun won the award for best TV drama series, with Anna Sawai, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Tadanobu Asano taking home the Globe for their performances in the hit FX samurai series.

The series’ Golden Globe win follows its history-making triumph at the Emmys, with a record 18 Emmy trophies for a non-English language show last year.

At the 82nd Golden Globe Awards, Shogun beat out Peacock’s The Day of the Jackal, Netflix’s The Diplomat, Mr. & Mrs. Smith at Prime Video, Apple TV+’s Slow Horses and Netflix’s Squid Game.

Sawai won the Globe for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series for her role as Toda Mariko in Shogun, which is adapted from James Clavell’s 1975 best-selling historical novel of the same name.

“Thank you to the voters for voting for me, even though I would vote for Kathy Bates any day,” the New Zealand-born Japanese actress said in her acceptance speech. Bates was nominated in the same category for her starring role on CBS’ Matlock.

Sawai also thanked Shogun’s “incredible writers,” saying, “without a good script, it’s not possible to give a performance to our fullest full potential.”

Sanada, who bagged Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series for his role as Yoshii Toranaga, told Rappler in a backstage interview that Shogun’s big win opens doors to better opportunities in Hollywood for Asian actors and filmmakers.

“The gates have swung open not only for Japan but also for other Asian countries,” he said.

Sanada said Shogun, a feudal Japan-set drama, is breaking the language barriers as 70 percent of the lines are delivered in Japanese by a largely Japanese cast.

In his acceptance speech, Sanada encouraged young actors and creators “to be yourself.”

“Believe in yourself and never give up,” he said.

Asano took home the Globe for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role on Television.

Another actress of Asian descent who shone at the 82nd annual ceremony was Ali Wong. She won the award for Best Stand-up Performance on TV, beating out Jamie Foxx, Nikki Glaser, Seth Meyers, Adam Sandler, and Ramy Youssef.

Wong made history last year as the first Asian American to win a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Limited Series.

Also at the forefront of the night’s biggest awards was John Chu’s The Wicked, winning the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement award.

In his acceptance speech, Chu said his immigrant parents “came to this country and loved the Wizard of Oz that tells the story about a yellow brick road and the place over the rainbow where all dreams come true if you dare to dream it.”

Presenters at Sunday’s event included 2023 Golden Globe winners Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan.

Yeoh won the award for Best Performance by an Actress in a motion picture for her role as Evelyn Quan Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once.

Quan won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in a Movie for his role as laundromat owner Waymond Wang, becoming the first actor of Asian descent in nearly 40 years to win in this category.

A big win for diversity

Spanish language, genre-bending trans musical Emilia Perez and postwar epic immigrant drama The Brutalist won top awards at the Golden Globes.

French director Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Perez bagged four awards, including Best Comedy or Musical Film.

The Brutalist was named Best Drama and also won Best Director for Brady Corbet and Best Actor for Adrien Brody, who plays a Hungarian Holocaust survivor.

Emilia Pérez won Best Film, Comedy or Musical and also won Best Supporting Actress for Zoe Saldaña, Best Song (El Mal) and Best Non-English Language Film. 

“The light always wins over darkness,” said the film’s trans star Karla Sofia Gascón as she accepted the award.

Gascón plays a Mexican drug lord who undergoes gender affirming surgery. “You can maybe put us in jail. You can beat us up. But you never can take away our soul or existence or identity.” – Rappler.com