Sir Anthony Hopkins has lost all seven of his races at the Golden Globes but his luck could change this year with his bid for his heartfelt portrayal of the title character in “The Father.” Of his losses, the most surprising was back in 1992 when he contended for his iconic performance of Hannibal Lecter in “The Silence of the Lambs. While Nick Nolte won for “The Prince of Tides,” Hopkins exacted his revenge at the Oscars. While the HFPA has yet to award Hopkins a competitive Golden Globe, it did honor his lifetime of achievement with the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2006.
This year Hopkins faces off once again in Best Drama Actor against Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”), Chadwick Boseman (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”), Gary Oldman (“Mank”) and Tahar Rahim (“The Mauritanian”). Ahmed was nominated four years ago for Best TV Actor – Movie/Mini for “The Night Of” and Oldman won in this category three years ago for “Darkest Hour.”
Hopkins gives one of his best performance as Anthony in “The Father.” His character is suffering from dementia. Despite this he still refuses any sort of long-term help or assistance from his daughter, Anne (Olivia Colman). As he tries to make sense of his world while his condition worsens, he begins to question the motivations of his loved ones and his own perception of reality.
SEE 2021 Golden Globes nominations list: Nominees for 78th annual ceremony
“The Father” earned four nominations in total; that makes it the third most nominated film alongside “Nomadland” and “Promising Young Woman.” In addition to Hopkins, the film contends for Best Drama, Best Supporting Actress for Colman and Best Screenplay for Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton.
That strong showing has put this Sony Pictures Classics release back in the conversation as a serious contender and there are signs that are encouraging for a Hopkins win. While Boseman is currently ahead in our odds, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” only earned recogniton for him and Viola Davis. The level of love that the HFPA has showered on “The Father,” could well be a sign that Hopkins will finally prevail.
This article is a part of Gold Derby’s “Golden Globes nominee profile” series spotlighting the 2021 contenders in film and TV.
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