- Ruth Negga
This is Ethiopian-Irish actress Ruth Negga’s first Golden Globe nomination; she is being recognized for her phenomenal work in Loving, a 2016 historical drama film. She is the only WOC being nominated in her category: Best Performance By an Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama.
2. Viola Davis (WINNER)
2017 is off to a wonderful start for this remarkably talented woman. Aside from being the first Hollywood Walk of Fame star recipient of the year, Davis won the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role tonight. She is being honored for her performance in Fences, a film adapted from August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize winning screenplay of the same name. It is the powerful story of a working-class black family in the 1950s.
3. Naomie Harris
Harris was also nominated in the category of Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture for her performance as Paula, the drug-addicted mother of a young man coming to terms with his homosexuality during the “War on Drugs” era in Barry Jenkins’ film Moonlight.
4. Octavia Spencer
Spencer’s prolific performance in 2016 American biographical film Hidden Figures scored her a nomination in the category of Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role. The film tells the awe-inspiring true story of the three black women whose contributions provided NASA with the critical information needed to launch the nation’s first successful missions into space.
5. Gina Rodriguez
Rodriguez was nominated for Best Performance By an Actress in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy for the third time, having won the award in 2015. She is being recognized for her lead role as Jane on The CW’s hit TV series Jane The Virgin. The satirical romantic comedy-drama telenovela follows the life of Jane Villanueva, a young woman who, much to her initial horror, discovers that she was accidentally artificially inseminated. The series has been praised for destroying Latinx stereotypes and representing Latinx culture honestly and realistically.
6. Tracee Ellis Ross (WINNER)
Tonight Ross won her first-ever Golden Globe in the category of Best Performance By an Actress in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy for her hilariously awesome role as Rainbow Johnson in ABC sitcom Blackish. The show follows the comedic adventures of the Johnson family, who offer a fresh perspective on the exploration of black identity in the 21st century. Ross beautifully discussed the importance of representation and diversity in her acceptance speech: “This is for all of the women of color and colorful people whose stories, ideas, thoughts are not always considered worthy and valid and important,” she said. “But I want you to know that I see you, we see you.”
7. Issa Rae
Rae was nominated for Best Performance By an Actress in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy for her leading role in HBO’s Insecure, which she also co-created. The comedy series follows the friendship of two young black women, Issa and Molly, and offers a unique take on both black womanhood and the awkwardness that everyday life often brings.
8. Kerry Washington
Washington’s wonderful performance in 2016 American television political thriller film Confirmation put her in the running for Best Performance By an Actress in a Series, Limited Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television. The film gives audiences an inside look into the shocking 1991 Supreme Court nomination hearings that changed American perspective on workplace gender equality forever when American attorney Anita Hill accused former Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment.
9. Thandie Newton
Newton was nominated for Best Performance By an Actress in A Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for her role as Maeve Millay in American sci-fi Western thriller TV series Westworld. The show is centered around a futuristic theme park by the same name, which allows privileged visitors to explore their deepest fantasies via artificial consciousness.
