Kathy Bates (left) and Anna Sawai.Photo:Rich Polk/GG2025/Penske Media via Getty; CBS
Rich Polk/GG2025/Penske Media via Getty; CBS
Kathy Bateswas expecting a win at the2025 Golden Globes, but she got an on-stage shoutout from winnerAnna Sawaiinstead.
Fellow nomineeKeri Russellalso had a noteworthy reaction to Sawai’s win, as she couldn’t seem to hold in her excitement at not being the winner herself.
“Thank you, oh thank you,” the star ofThe Diplomatcould be seen saying.
Anna Sawai at the 2025 Golden Globes.CBS
CBS
Ironically, Sawai herself seemed to be pulling for Bates to win. “I have so much people to thank but I’m gonna keep it short, thank you to the voters for voting for me even though I would vote for Kathy Bates any day,” she admitted in her acceptance speech, which elicited laughs from the crowd.
She continued, “Thank you to our incredible writers, without a good script, it’s impossible to give a performance to our fullest, full potential. Thank you. Everyone else – I’m gonna thank you later.”
Sawai’s win comes after her first-ever nomination in the category.Shōgun, whichtells the story of 1600s feudal Japan, earned several nominations across the board, including best television series — drama and a nod for Sawai’s costars Tadanobu Asano andHiroyuki Sanada.
Anna Sawai as Toda Mariko in ‘Shogun’.Katie Yu/FX
Katie Yu/FX
Sawai’s nomination follows her history-making win at the2024 Emmy Awards— where the show itself made a splash with awhopping 25 nominations.
Along with Bates' nomination forMatlockand Russell’s forThe Diplomat,House of the Dragon,‘sEmma D’Arcy,Mr. and Mrs. Smith’sMaya ErskineandBlack Doves’Keira Knightleywere also nominated in the category.
Kathy Bates as Madeline Matlock in ‘Matlock’.Sonja Flemming/CBS via Gett
Sonja Flemming/CBS via Gett
With her latest role as the titular character in theMatlockreboot,Bates has been feeling “emotional” as she told PEOPLE this period of her life “is just so exciting.”
“How can it get any better? I would love for this to keep going,” she said of the wave she’s riding.
Considering she admitted she “had one foot out the door” regarding her acting career until she read the reboot’s script, things for Bates are certainly looking up.
Emma D’Arcy in ‘House of the Dragon’ season 2.Theo Whiteman/HBO
Theo Whiteman/HBO
D’Arcy was once again nominated for their role as the true heir to the Iron Throne,Rhaenyra Targaryen, in theGame of Thronesprequel seriesHouse of the Dragon.
In the show’s second season, which aired from June to August, D’Arcy’s character, Rhaenyra Targaryen, was put to the testafter suffering a heartbreaking death in the season 1 finale. Rhaenyra continued to face challenges from both her husband Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) and her best friend turned enemy, Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke).
“It’skind of a surreal thingbecause when I was starting out, I really felt that I had to pretend, to present as a woman in order to find success in this industry,” they told E! News on the red carpet. “Anyway, it wasn’t sustainable, and I stopped pretending, and weirdly, it’s at that point that I got nominated for best actress at the Golden Globes.”
“I think the most important thing is that it implies that the space for trans people and gender-nonconforming people is getting bigger all the time,” D’Arcy, 32, continued. “So I feel very privileged.”
While they didn’t take home the prize that year, the show did beat outSeverance,Ozark,The CrownandBetter Call Saulto win best television drama series.
Donald Glover as John Smith and Maya Erskine as Jane Smith in Amazon Studios’ series ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’ (2024).Amazon Studios
Amazon Studios
Erskine, 37, is one of two first-time nominees in the category. ThePEN15co-creator starred alongsideDonald Gloverin the Hulu series remake ofMr. and Mrs. Smith, where, instead of playing a couple who both are unaware that their other half is a spy asAngelina JolieandBrad Pittdid in the 2005 film, Glover and Erskine’s Jane and John Smith arein a relationship purely for their espionagework.
Keira Knightley in ‘Black Doves’.Ludovic Robert/Netflix
Ludovic Robert/Netflix
In the Netflix series, the actress, 39, plays a British spy whose carefully curated personal life switches into high gear when her secret lover Jason (Andrew Koji) is assassinated. Knightley, along withBen Whishaw, embarks on a high-stakes journey to identify her lover’s killer, all while continuing to keep her double life a secret from her politician husband.
Keri Russell as Kate Wyler in ‘The Diplomat’.Netflix
Netflix
Season 2 ofThe Diplomatearned Russell her fifth Golden Globe nomination, and followed up her nomination in the same category for season 1 in 2024. The Netflix series returned for season 2 in October, and Russell andRufus Sewellwere back as politics' most complicated couple, Kate (Russell) and Hal Wyler (Sewell).
The six-episode season saw them continue navigating a treacherous global power balance from the U.K. amid their ongoing relationship troubles — and this time,Allison Janneyjoined in on the fun, a move that Russell told PEOPLE “really complicates the mix of it all.”
It also meant some added nerves for her, as she told PEOPLEshe was “nervous” to work with Janney, but it thankfully all went smoothly. “She’s everything you want her to be,” Russell, 48, said. “She’s gracious and funny and smart and cool.”
Janney, 65, earned a nomination for her role, too, at the Globes, and the show itself was nominated for best television series — drama.
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source: people.com