Not only did the actresses of Big Little Lies sweep their Golden Globes categories, they also used their acceptance speeches at Sunday night's ceremony to make statements about the power of women to speak out against harassment and intimidation.

In her acceptance speech for best supporting actress in a series, limited series or TV movie, Laura Dern linked her character's struggles with her daughter's bullying to the current cultural conversation about harassment.

Dern described how her character Renata Klein was "terrified because her little girl was being abused and bullied" by a classmate, "and she was too afraid to speak up."

"Many of us were taught not to tattle," she continued. "It was a culture of silence and that was normalized. I urge all of us to not only support survivors and bystanders who are brave enough to tell their truths, but to promote restorative justice. May we also please protect and employ them. May we teach our children that speaking out without the fear of retribution is our culture's new North Star."

Several categories earlier, Nicole Kidman won the Golden Globe for best actress in a limited series for her portrayal of Celeste Wright, a woman trapped in an abusive marriage.

“This character that I played represents something that is the center of our conversation right now: abuse," she said. "I do believe and I hope that we can elicit change through the stories we tell and the way we tell them.”

Alexander Skarsgård, who played Celeste's husband Perry Wright, also won the Globe for best supporting actor in a limited series, thanking his female co-stars, producers and the author of the original Big Little Lies novel, Liane Moriarty.  

"I am here tonight because I had a privilege of working with a group of extraordinarily talented women," he said. "Most of them are in this room tonight."

Speaking backstage, Big Little Lies star/producer Reese Witherspoon told reporters that following the Harvey Weinstein revelations and other stories of harassment across various industries, there was “a collective feeling it wouldn’t be business as usual."

"We are more united in the industry, men and women, determined to change our own industry but also to shine a light on other industries," she said. "(There are) a lot of people in other industries who don’t get the opportunity to speak up."

Witherspoon also made the case for more female-led shows, saying they make Hollywood "look like the world really looks. When women are the architects, stories change...The same people have been telling stories over and over again. It feels like it’s changing.”

 

Source: AFP