'A Star Is Born' Was Majorly Snubbed By The Golden Globes & Fans Aren't OK
Bradley Cooper's remake of A Star Is Born had something going for it that no other version previously had: It birthed a star to the silver screen. Unlike previous versions of the female ingenue, who were played by well-established, A-list acting talents like Barbara Stanwyck, Judy Garland, and Barbra Streisand, Ally Maine was played by Lady Gaga, famous for her music but not for her acting. How many Golden Globes did A Star Is Born win? The film took home only one trophy, much to the disappointment of fans. In the end, A Star Is Born was snubbed at the 2019 Golden Globes.
Gaga was heavily favored for Best Song for "Shallow," so most assumed she'd be taking it home in a walk — which she did, beating out competition. The closest song to perhaps making an upset was "All The Stars" from Black Panther, but it was not to be.
But Gaga taking home the win for Best Song merely kept her in the already established wheelhouse. The real question of the night is if she could take home Best Actress in a Drama, sealing her status as the real star born from Cooper's film. Many thought she would. With so many nominations, A Star is Born was thought to be a solid contender.
That's why it was a bit of a shock when Best Actress in A Drama was announced as going to Glenn Close for The Wife. (The rest of the category nominees included Nicole Kidman for Destroyer, Melissa McCarthy for Can You Ever Forgive Me?, and Rosamund Pike in A Private War — all of which were seen as long-shots.) Prognosticators had called Gaga the frontrunner for taking home the win for several weeks heading into the Globes, but toward the end she began to falter, with some suggesting Glenn Close could steal it in an upset. That turned out to be the case.
Speaking of long-shots, while Gaga's ability to take home Best Actress was being hotly debated, most assumed Cooper, who played Jackson Maine, was far less likely to take home the trophy for Best Actor, as that category also included Lucas Hedges in Boy Erased and Rami Malek in Bohemian Rhapsody — both of which were considered far stronger contenders. So it wasn't surprising that Rami Malek won in that category.
Cooper seemed more interested in campaigning for Best Director anyway, where his competition ran the gamut from Alfonso Cuarón for Netflix's Roma to Peter Farrelly's Green Book, as well as Spike Lee for BlacKkKlansman and Adam McKay for Vice. With such a wild array of choices, voters picked Alfonso Cuarón, overlooking Cooper.
But it was A Star Is Born's loss in the Best Drama category that sealed the deal. The category was also a wide group, encompassing everything from Marvel's Black Panther to Lee's BlackKklansman and McQueen's If Beale Street Could Talk. And yet, most people assumed A Star is Born would be the one to take it. Bohemian Rhapsody won instead, much to the shock of everyone in the room.
