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Movies & TV

03rd Feb 2021

We predict which of the Irish nominees will win their Golden Globes

Rory Cashin

They’re up against some big competition at this year’s awards.

The nominations for the 2021 Golden Globe Awards have been announced, and as with every year, we scour through them to see how many Irish nominees there are.

This year, despite a pandemic feeling like it put a sudden halt to new movies and shows, the nominees have revealed just how fruitful the last twelve months have been, as even though there are a handful of Irish nominees throughout, they’re up against some stiff competition.

The full list of nominees can be found here, while the awards ceremony itself will be co-hosted virtually by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler on Sunday 28 February.

Now, on with the Irish nominees, and how likely (or unlikely) they are to take home their awards.

 

Normal People

Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture made for Television

Competition: The Queen’s Gambit, Small Axe, The Undoing, Unorthodox

This is a particularly stacked category this year, with a healthy mix of critical darlings and hugely popular binge-watches. Out of them all, it does seem like The Queen’s Gambit is the biggest competition, because not only did it land with reviewers (97% on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to Normal People’s 90%), but it was also a bit of a sleeper hit for Netflix, remaining high on their charts for weeks on end.

Having said that, it does feel like Normal People is a bit of an underdog that the world has a soft spot for because it arrived relatively close to the start of the pandemic, so we had this and Tiger King to get us through those early days of the first lockdown. If the chess drama doesn’t take home the award, then we imagine it’ll go to Normal People.

Chances: High

 

Daisy Edgar-Jones

Best Actress in a Television Limited Series or Motion Picture made for Television

Competition: Cate Blanchett (Mrs. America), Shira Haas (Unorthodox), Nicole Kidman (The Undoing), Anya Taylor-Joy (The Queen’s Gambit)

Yes, we know she’s not Irish, but it is an Irish production, so we’re counting it. Regardless, this is a bit of a toughie, because while Irish viewers were knocked sideways by Edgar-Jones’ incredible accent, it might not be clear to international viewers that she isn’t actually Irish, and all you need to do is look at the trailer for Wild Mountain Thyme to see how easily that can go wrong.

Which isn’t to say that an accent alone is enough to give an award, but in this case, it shouldn’t be overlooked! Aside from that, Edgar-Jones has some very tough competition in this category, with two members of Hollywood royalty and two incredible up-and-comers, but our gut is telling us that this may be Taylor-Joy’s to lose.

Chances: Medium

 

Brendan Gleeson

Best Supporting Actor – Television

Competition: John Boyega (Small Axe), Daniel Levy (Schitt’s Creek), Jim Parsons (Hollywood), Donald Sutherland (The Undoing)

Here is the problem with this one… The Comey Rule didn’t actually go too hard on its interpretation of Trump. And Hollywood might not want to give the award to Gleeson, simply because it might feel too close to actually giving an award to Trump himself. We imagine everyone is just wanting to put the last four years out of their minds completely, which is fair enough. On top of that, Gleeson wasn’t actually great as Trump. There were moments of perfect Trump’isms scattered throughout, but more often than not, his performance as Trump felt closer to Alec Baldwin-as-Trump rather than Trump himself.

Golden Globes might celebrate Schitt’s Creek coming to an end by giving the award to Levy, but if not, then we can see Boyega taking home the trophy for his powerful performance in Steve McQueen’s magnetic drama.

Chances: Low

 

Wolfwalkers

Best Picture – Animated

Competition: Onward, Soul, Over The Moon, The Croods: A New Age

Wolfwalkers will win this award. There are no two ways about it. The competition this year just isn’t even strong enough to warrant a close second. Disney’s Onward was fine, but forgettable. Pixar’s Soul was good, but not near one of their best. Netflix’s Over The Moon was cute, but not exactly groundbreaking. While it feels like The Croods sequel is here simply because there had to be five nominations on this list.

Yep, this will be Cartoon Saloon’s year. If not, we riot at dawn.

Chances: Very High

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