
Natalie Portman, right, and America Ferrera arrive at the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday night. Portman criticized the lack of female nominees in the directing category. (Mike Nelson/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
Natalie Portman and Ron Howard followed Oprah Winfrey’s passionate Cecil B. DeMille Award acceptance speech, which focused heavily on gender and racial equality, by announcing the winner for best motion picture director at Sunday night’s Golden Globes.
Portman didn’t let the opportunity to make a statement slide: “And here are the all-male nominees,” she said.
(For reference, they were Martin McDonagh, Christopher Nolan, Ridley Scott, Steven Spielberg and Guillermo del Toro, who won for “The Shape of Water.”)
The camera panned to each of the directors, who seemed unsure of how to react. Twitter users were similarly split on Portman’s decision.
Many applauded the actress, who helped spearhead the Time’s Up initiative calling attention to sexual misconduct, which Winfrey praised in her speech.
Natalie Portman dropping the truth like #timesUp pic.twitter.com/IzPADsKDlS
— Gina Rodriguez (@HereIsGina) January 8, 2018
I gotta say that what Natalie Portman did by adding the word "male" to the introduction for best director took some serious guts. Did you see the awkward looks? That's the face of change.
— Melissa Silverstein (@melsil) January 8, 2018
Natalie Portman, scientist, discovering the first and only way to successfully follow an Oprah Speech (2018). pic.twitter.com/OP4mN0Kr86
— Joel Kim Booster (@ihatejoelkim) January 8, 2018
"And here are the all male nominees." Natalie Portman calls it for what it is.
— shonda rhimes (@shondarhimes) January 8, 2018
Instantly immortal phrase from Natalie Portman, about the directing award candidates:
"Here are the all-male nominees."
— jodikantor (@jodikantor) January 8, 2018
Others, however, were not as positive:
"And here are the all-male nominees" says Natalie Portman SO GUTSY & RUDE, as she presents the best-director nominees. Whoa.
— Emily Nussbaum (@emilynussbaum) January 8, 2018
Way to ruin the moment, Natalie Portman. I’m all about empowering women, but snubbing talented directors who are QUITE seasoned and deserving just because they happen to be males is NOT feminism.
— Kat Granlund (@KatGranlund) January 8, 2018
Natalie Portman is offended that every #GoldenGlobes nominated director this year is a man, even though women directed just 7% of the 250 highest grossing films last year.
— Michael Knowles (@michaeljknowles) January 8, 2018
It’s worth noting that “Lady Bird,” which won best motion picture, comedy or musical, did not receive a nomination for director Greta Gerwig.
Barbra Streisand later criticized the all-male slate as well, stating that she is the only woman to have won a Golden Globe for best director. She won 34 years ago for “Yentl.”
Read more:
Golden Globes: Seth Meyers roasts Trump, Weinstein and more (with an assist from Amy Poehler)
Golden Globes: A watchable revolution, with Oprah leading the way