All eyes are on Sunday’s Globes drama actor category to see who might emerge as the Oscar leader in a similarly packed race. Domingo is nominated there alongside Ralph Fiennes, who spoke in Palm Springs on behalf of Ensemble Award winner Conclave, and the category’s heaviest hitters, The Brutalist’s Adrien Brody and A Complete Unknown’s Timothée Chalamet, who each won individual awards on Friday night. Chalamet particularly was everywhere, generously signing autographs as he filed late into the ballroom, then presenting the Directing Award with Arrival alum Amy Adams (hey, another 2025 best actress contender!) to Dune: Part 2’s Denis Villeneuve. By the time Chalamet took the stage to give his own speech, after a lovely introduction by Gary Oldman, he seemed warmed-up and raring to go.
That’s the goal, for campaigns, of participating in a ceremony like this. It allows contenders who have been on the trail for months—in some stars’ case (say, another of Friday’s honorees, Kieran Culkin), for over a year—to wrap their arms around a narrative for voters to get behind. It’s the place to try out a speech, of making your case. Culkin and Chalamet connected their years in the business as kids and teens to their current, arguably most acclaimed film roles ever. Jamie Lee Curtis gave Kidman the most electric intro of the night, allowing Kidman to walk a path paved for her as a revered industry icon—and to promptly break your heart with some deep personal reflection. Grande essentially introduced herself to Hollywood’s bigwigs, having already dominated the music industry, with cutting humor and genuine humility.
It was a long, winding, boozy night. For many of the honorees, though, it felt like a thrilling starting point toward gold. On Sunday night, we’ll begin to see for which select few that proves to be true.
Listen to Vanity Fair’s Little Gold Men podcast now.
