LOS ANGELES (AFP, REUTERS) - Black British actors Daniel Kaluuya and John Boyega, and animated movie Soul, were among the early winners at Sunday's (Feb 28) virtual Golden Globes ceremony, which took place under a cloud following a furore over diversity.
Kaluuya won the Golden Globe for best supporting actor in a film for his magnetic portrayal of the late Black Panther leader Fred Hampton in Judas And The Black Messiah.
The actor bested a talented field that included Sacha Baron Cohen (The Trial Of The Chicago 7), Jared Leto (The Little Things), Bill Murray (On The Rocks) and Leslie Odom Jr (One Night In Miami).
"This took it out of me. I gave everything," said Kaluuya, accepting the award via a webcam.
Boyega won the supporting actor award for his role in the Small Axe series of TV movies about life as a black person in 1970s London. Soul, the first Pixar movie to have a black character in the lead, was named best animated movie.
The usual chummy gathering of A-listers at a gala dinner in Beverly Hills has been overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic and controversy over the lack of black members in the 87-member Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) whose members choose the Golden Globe winners.
Three members of the HFPA appeared on the show and pledged to do better.
"We look forward to a more inclusive future, said current president Ali Sar, who is from Turkey.
