by Camila Henriquez
If last weekend's Golden Globes were anything to go by, we’ll have an award season packed with Laura Dern speeches. Even though she has been deemed a favorite to win Best Supporting Actress for the past few months, many (myself included) thought the HFPA would go the HFPA way and honor Jennifer Lopez. It was probably the best shot for J.Lo at a televised award, as Globe voters looove their mega-stars. But Dern has an "overdue" narrative that her category rivals just don’t. Well, Annette Bening does, but unfortunately there’s no chance in hell she gets her Oscar this year. Even the nomination would be a shock.
But Dern's Globes victory should have been a foregone conclusion, regardless of Lopez's great Hustler's performance. Laura Dern has a great track record with the HFPA; she has had eight nominations and lost only thrice. With her win last sunday, she joins Carol Burnett, Rosalind Russell, Jessica Lange and Ed Asner in the five-Globe-wins group.
Let's look back at her Globes history - with an Oscar note or two thrown in -- for fun...
1981/1982 - She didn’t start off with a nomination, but with the task always reserved for the offspring of famous actors now known as Golden Globe Ambassador (then, it was Mister or Miss Golden Globe). Laura, as we all know, has acting in her blood; her father Bruce Dern is a three time Globe nominee and mom Diane Ladd a former winner. Both of her parents are also former Oscar nominees. Fun fact #1: 1982 was the infamous year Pia Zadora won Best Newcomer. Fun Fact #2: Laura is still the only former Miss Golden Globe to actually win one. Any thoughts on who could join her? Dakota Johnson, maybe?
1991/1992 - Ten years after giving out awards, she was invited back to the party as a first time nominee for Rambling Rose. It was a tough year, as she faced Thelma and Louise herselves and eventual winner Jodie Foster, who went on to win the Oscar. That season was special for Dern, though, as she and her mother Diane were both nominated for the Globes and the Academy Awards for the same movie, a historic feat that has yet to be equaled.
1993/1994 - Her first win came for the TV movie “Afterburn”. She beat out the likes of Katharine Hepburn, Jessica Lange, Kyra Sedgwick and comeback kid Drew Barrymore. Fun fact: this was win #1 for Laura and also the first of four Globes she won for TV projects. Yes, the “Marriage Story” victory is her first in the film section!
1998/1999 - Another nomination for a TV movie, this time for her turn as a pregnant woman willing to give her child to Stockard Channing in “The Baby Dance”. Both co-stars were nominated in the same category, alongside Miranda Richardson and Ann-Margret, but the HFPA couldn’t resist awarding Angelina Jolie her second Globe in a row for her mesmerizing turn in "Gia”. Yes, I know there’s a gossip connection between the two of them, but let’s not go there.
2008/2009 - Ten years passed until Laura got her fourth nomination and second win, this time for (guess!) the TV movie “Recount”. Directed by Bombshell helmer Jay Roach, the film has Dern playing former Secretary of State Katherine Harris during the whole 2000 election voting recount drama. Laura was a supporting player this time, beating out “In Treatment” costars Melissa George and Dianne Wiest, Eileen Atkins and Rachel Griffiths.
2011/2012 - Many people consider “Enlightened” to be not only one the best comedies TV has ever produced, but also the beginning of the Dernassaince (to me, she never left). She beat out stiff competition that year: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Laura Linney (remember ‘The Big C’?) and Zooey Deschanel, fresh off the first season of “New Girl”.
2017/2018 - Funnily enough, her second Oscar nomination for Wild wasn’t preceded by Globes recognition. Laura didn’t even get a sophomore nod for “Enlightened”, and had to wait six years to get on that podium again, but it was worth the wait. Her fourth trophy was for her scene stealing work in “Big Little Lies”. Renata Klein became a part of pop culture thanks to Laura’s energetic performance and it was only fair that awards followed on that trend.
2018/2019 - The following year, she was back, this time with a nod for her heartbreaking work in the very underrated “The Tale”. Competition was stiff, though, and Patricia Arquette prevailed for her performance in Ben Stiller’s “Escape at Dannemora”
2019/2020 and Marriage Story!
And, with that, we get to this past Sunday with her first film win over J.Lo, Bening, Kathy Bates and Margot Robbie. It’s very unlikely that we won’t keep seeing Laura at the podium for the following weeks. She has the narrative all set up: the role, a career of incredible and versatile performances, the respect of her peers and the love of the Academy (she was almost elected AMPAS president, too!). Her Oscar history (just two nominations) may seem sparse given her status in the industry, but, hey, it's like that for many other greats. So, even if her divorce lawyer Nora wouldn't top anyone's list of her all time best work, it’s quite thrilling to be along for the ride of this chapter of her career. An Academy Award is finally on the way.