With Sandra Oh and Andy Samberg hosting today’s Golden Globes, where the opening monologue would go was always an issue with a few question marks around it. But, true to form, the duo knocked it out of the park. And Oh, in particular, brought the entire room to the verge of tears.
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The somewhat unlikely duo began today’s Awards show by roasting nominees in the crowd with nothing but pure compliments in a light-hearted, banter-fuelled rant that included multiple references to Lady Gaga‘s now-infamous “there can be 100 people in a room” speech.
100 PEOPLE IN A ROOM!!! pic.twitter.com/5kXbyzM5Ib
— Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) January 7, 2019
But it was when Oh, the first Asian woman to host the Golden Globes, began taking shots at Hollywood’s often-maligned and well documented issues with racial representation that the speech took on an entirely different tone.
Firstly, Oh offered some light jokes, stating that Crazy Rich Asians was the first major studio film with an Asian-American lead since Ghost In The Shell and Aloha – to which Emma Stone, star of the latter, offered a heckled apology from deep within the crowd.
Sandra Oh: [“Crazy Rich Asians”] is the first studio film with an Asian American lead since “Ghost in the Shell” and “Aloha.”
Emma Stone [in the crowd]: I’M SORRY! pic.twitter.com/YI1S7sLvPH
— David Mack (@davidmackau) January 7, 2019
But it was Oh’s closing remarks that brought the house down.
With her voice clearly wavering, Oh revealed just why she accepted the role, and the absolute, vital importance that the job represents to Asian-American actors in Hollywood.
Sandra Oh made me cry with this pic.twitter.com/Mjf0VDJSp8
— Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) January 7, 2019
I said yes to the fear of being on this stage tonight, because I wanted to be here to look out onto this audience and witness this moment of change. And I’m not fooling myself: next year could be different. It probably will be. But right now, this moment is real. Trust me, it is real. Because I see you. And i see you. All these faces of change. And now so will everyone else.
Sandra Oh forever. Forever and ever, and ever and ever.
