Renée Zellweger wins Golden Globe for her stunning turn as gay icon Judy Garland in ‘Judy’
"Her humanity has been a great reminder that the choices we make matter."
By Will Stroude
Renée Zellweger solidifed her position as the one to beat this awards season after taking home the Golden Globe for Best Actress (Drama) for her stunning turn in Judy Garland biopic Judy.
The actress, 50, announced her re-entry to Hollywood’s elite following her six-year hiatus from acting as she accepted the award at the star-studded ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday night (5 January).
Zellweger used her speech to pay tribute to late Wizard of Oz star and gay icon Garland, who died in London in 1969 at the age of 47 following an overdose of barbituates.
“The conversations that I have had with people internationally, they just want to express their love or Judy Garland and tell [me] about the great personal significance of her legacy”, she said.
“Her humanity has been a great reminder that the choices we make matter.
Renée Zellweger wins Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama. #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/qN3h7c7Tqw
— NBC Entertainment (@nbc) January 6, 2020
“What we make matters, and how we choose to honor each other in our lifetimes can matter a great deal down the road.”
Zellweger reflected on Garland’s continued legacy within the LGBTQ community in an interview with Attitude last year, saying that the late star’s relationship with her gay fans was “a mutual understanding of support and acceptance”.
Of Garland’s personal demons, she said: “The circumstances that led to her problems are tragic. But she never quite despite the deck being stacked against her from the time she was a tiny child.
“And it’s what was between the lines that was so interesting to me, the omission of critics, understanding the human experience of trying to navigate those circumstances and still delivering on the highest levels.
“What it must have been like to keep going, not have the option to stop when your body is telling you that you ought to.”