A who’s who of Australian acting talent will contend the 80th annual Golden Globe Awards in January, with Hugh Jackman, Margot Robbie, Cate Blanchett, and Elizabeth Debicki all landing nominations.
Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis is also in line for more glory, following its dominance of this month’s AACTA Awards, securing nods for Best Director — Motion Picture, Best Motion Picture — Drama and Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama for Austin Butler.
Butler will be up against Jackman for the award, with the Wolverine star securing his fourth Golden Globe nomination for his role as Peter in Florian Zeller’s The Son. Rounding out the category are Brendan Fraser (The Whale), Bill Nighy (Living), and Jeremy Pope (The Inspection).
Blanchett will be hard to beat in the corresponding actress category, having already been recognised with the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at this year’s Venice International Film Festival for her protrayal of a famous composer who is caught up in a public scandal in Todd Field’s Tár.
She will compete for her fourth Golden Globe against Olivia Colman (Empire of Light) , Viola Davis (The Woman King), Ana de Armas (Blonde), Michelle Williams (The Fabelmans).
Like Blanchett, Robbie is nominated for her third Golden Globe in five years, getting a nod for her appearance as Nellie LaRoy in Damian Chazelle’s Babylon in Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy alongside Lesley Manville (Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris), Anya Taylor-Joy (The Menu), Emma Thompson (Good Luck to You, Leo Grande), and Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once).
Behind the camera, Luhrmann faces stiff competition in what is only his second time being nominated and first in more than two decades, lining up against James Cameron (Avatar: The Way of Water), Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Martin McDonagh (The Banshees of Inisherin) and Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans) for Best Director — Motion Picture.
Joining Elvis in the Best Picture — Motion Drama field is Avatar: The Way of Water, The Fabelmans, Tár, and Top Gun: Maverick.
Debicki will fly the flag for Australia in television, getting her first nomination for her turn as Princess Diana in Netflix’s The Crown. She will vie for the Best Supporting Actress — Television award alongside Hannah Einbinder (Hacks), Julia Garner (Ozark), Janelle James (Abbott Elementary), and Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary).
The Crown helped Netflix to tie with HBO Max as the most represented distributor in nominations with 14 each. They were followed by Hulu with 10.
January’s ceremony marks a return to broadcast television for the awards, after telecast partner NBC announced last year it would not air the event, due to the fallout from a Los Angeles Times expose that highlighted unethical practices and a lack of diversity among the HFPA membership.
In a statement NBCUniversal Television and Streaming’s chairman of entertainment networks Frances Berwick said the company recognised “the HFPA’s commitment to ongoing change and look forward to welcoming back the Golden Globes to NBC for its landmark 80th anniversary in January 2023”.
The 80th Annual Golden Globes will be held Tuesday, January 10, US time.