In a special episode of our new series  Golden Globes Around the World podcast, we invited new HFPA members Kelley Carter and Kimberly Reyes, along with veteran HFPA member Scott Orlin, to talk about not just the emotional Golden Globes announcement event on January 9 and the surprises on the night, but also a freewheeling conversation about the future of the 79-year-old organization.
“For me, the experience of the Golden Globes wasn’t just about the night of presentation but everything leading up to it. Being able to have a voice and a vote in this awards season felt really special to me,” says Carter, a two-time Emmy Award-winning journalist who currently hosts a celebrity interview series Another Act for ESPN’s The Undefeated. “I love that Kimberly and I got to be part of this voting body to make those types of historic selections. I don’t mind sharing that I voted for Mj Rodriguez, and I loved that I had some really small fraction of making it happen for her. When the winners came out, I felt like I was seeing my vote. It was unexpectedly emotional for me because of that.”
Reyes, based in New York as a freelance journalist with outlets including Film Ireland, adds that she was also proud the organization honored MJ Rodriguez and also gave a shout-out to Ariana DeBose winning for Best Supporting Actress in West Side Story. “I’ve never been more on the same page with a group of people, and I won’t say specifically, but let me say my votes were the votes of other people clearly, who won. To see her win and to see two queer black Latinas win on the same night, I was so proud to be part of the organization.”
Will Smith won Best Actor in a Drama for King Richard. Carter says, “We are so used to box office dictating the watchability of films, that I had no idea people had even seen King Richard!”
For Scott Orlin, a long-time member who writes for German cinema magazine, the untelevised event focusing on the philanthropic work of the HFPA was unlike anything he’d ever experienced going to the Globes. “It was so different last night but almost in a good way because we were hearing the voices of people in the entertainment world who never get the opportunity to stand front and center; organizations like Streetlights or Get Lit or Los Fotos,” he says. “I thought that was incredibly powerful. The outside world didn’t really see that, unfortunately, but the three of us watched it and it was emotional.” Video tributes from Jamie Lee Curtis and Arnold Schwarzenegger supporting the HFPA and its philanthropy were also featured on the program, the only celebrity presence virtually in the room.
So, will ‘the party of the year’ be back in 2023? Post-Covid, will the organization return to in-person press conferences and set visits so they can continue covering and supporting the Hollywood film and TV industry for over 45 foreign markets as they’ve done for 79 years? The members don’t shy away from this discussion.
“I did a lot of press this week as a new member of the HFPA and got a lot of questions about ‘why did you want to be part of this beleaguered organization’ and there was a lot of schadenfreude,” Reyes elaborates in the podcast. “The message I would hope the world hears is that; listen, the Golden Globes had a reckoning. It needed to and it happened. The price was paid, and changes were made that were some of the most transparent changes I’ve seen in any industry. I’m a new member and Kelly and I are part of that 20% of the entire organization so who are you punishing at this point by turning your back on the HFPA? Me or Kelley? That seems counterintuitive. Are you going to sully the wins last night for the first Trans actress and first Korean actor? What is the point? So, let’s move forward. This is a new organization, trust us to do the right thing and if we don’t, you’ll find out about it.”