Golden Globes' message: Hollywood's tolerance of sexual harassment is over

It can hardly be called the elephant in the room when it was talked about all night. From the moment the first actress stepped on to the red carpet until the last award was given, #Metoo was the theme of the evening at the 75th annual Golden Globes on Sunday. From host Seth Meyers's monologue, to the fashion choices of the night and so many of the acceptance speeches, the resounding cry was heard that the longtime tolerance for sexual harassment and assault in Hollywood is over. Israeli actress Gal Gadot also played her role in the movement, donning an all-black outfit as part of a sartorial statement in support of the Time's Up movement against sexual harassment. Gadot, who wasn't nominated but presented the award for best performance by an actress in a TV musical or comedy, stunned in a sophisticated Tom Ford gown and tailored jacket, alongside her husband, Yaron Versano. And in a red carpet interview with Entertainment Tonight, Gadot had a lot to say about the choice to wear black and the link between her hit film, Wonder Woman, and female empowerment. “I think that the movie really came out in a time when it was needed,” she said. “And the timing and the story of the character and who she is and what she stands for in an iconic way really symbolizes everything that's happening right now. So, I'm very, very proud to be part of this and very excited to be here.” Gadot said that “for sure” Wonder Woman would also have worn black on the red carpet: “the lasso will be black!” The actress added that it's “very, very beautiful and exciting to see all these women and men coming together and uniting and saying that time is up, time is up, it's time that we respect each other, time is up for sexual harassment for abuse, for inequality, time's up.” Gadot presented the award for best actress in a TV miniseries – alongside her former Fast and Furious co-star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson – to Nicole Kidman for Big Little Lies. Later in the evening, Rachel Brosnahan – who also wore black – won the best actress in a TV comedy for her role as Miriam “Midge” Maisel in the Amazon original series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The show, which features a Jewish Manhattan housewife in the 1950s, also won the award for best TV series – musical or comedy. The Jerusalem Post review of the show, which premiered at the end of November, said it “might be the most Jewish TV show to hit the market for a long time.” Other Jewish-themed shows didn't fare as well, with nominees Robert DeNiro and Michelle Pfeiffer losing out for playing Bernie and Ruth Madoff in Wizard of Lies as well as Geoffrey Rush losing for playing Albert Einstein in Genius. The biggest winner of the night was Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, which won best film, best screenplay, best actress in a drama and best supporting actor. But the overwhelming theme of the night was the frank discussion of sexual harassment in the industry, right from the opening monologue. “Happy New Year, Hollywood!” said Seth Meyers. “It's 2018, marijuana is finally allowed and sexual harassment finally isn't. It's gonna be a good year!” Meyers continued by taking shots at Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, two powerful figures who have been accused of sexual assault and disappeared from the public eye. “Considering what has been going on this year with powerful men and their terrible behavior in Hollywood, a lot of people thought it would be more appropriate for a woman to host these awards, and they may be right,” Meyers said. “They tried to get a woman to host this show, they really did. They said, 'Hey, how would you like to come and be judged by some of the most powerful people in Hollywood?' And women were like, 'Hmm, well, where is it?' And they said, 'It's at a hotel,' and long story short, I'm your host tonight.” Natalie Portman, another Israeli actress who presented an award but wasn't nominated, used her time on stage to make a powerful point. Portman, alongside Ron Howard, awarded the prize for best director to Guillermo del Toro for The Shape of Water. “We are honored... to be here to present the award for best director,” Howard said, to which Portman – also dressed in all black – added: “And here are the all-male nominees.” Legend Barbara Streisand took to Twitter shortly after the awards to back up Portman's sentiment. “Here's a terrible fact,” she wrote. “There has not been a single woman who has won the Golden Globe for Best Director since I was fortunate enough to win it for Yentl in 1984... that's 34 years ago! Not right!” Streisand added that she would have loved to see Dee Rees nominated for Mudbound, as well as Patty Jenkins “and her film @WonderWomanFilm recognized because it shows how strong women can be, not only as characters but also at the box office.” Here's a terrible fact— There has not been a single woman who has won the Golden Globe for Best Director since I was fortunate enough to win it for Yentl in 1984…that's 34 years ago! Not right! — Barbra Streisand (@BarbraStreisand) January 8, 2018 And Jewish actress and activist Debra Messing made waves for calling out pay inequality on the E! Network – while being interviewed on the E! Network. “I was so shocked to hear that E! doesn't believe in paying their female co-hosts the same as their male co-hosts,” Messing said in an interview with E! host Guiliana Rancic. She added that she misses Catt Sadler, an E! host who quit in December over pay inequality. “We stand with her and that's something that can change tomorrow. We want people to start having this conversation that women are just as valuable as men.” Oprah Winfrey, who received a Golden Globe award for lifetime achievement, gave a moving, powerful speech when she came on stage to accept it. “A new day is on the horizon,” she said. “And when that new day finally dawns, it will be because of a lot of magnificent women, many of whom are in this room tonight, and some pretty phenomenal men, fighting hard to make sure they become leaders that take us to the time where nobody has to say 'me too' again.”

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