Despite bowing out to a Hollywood insider, the Philippines’ pride, who made waves for her performance in Triangle of Sadness, still makes history for being the first Filipino actor, male or female, to be nominated in a major Hollywood-based award-giving body.
By Alex Y. Vergara
The hopes of an entire nation were dashed, as Dolly de Leon eventually bowed out to Hollywood insider Angela Bassett, who won Best Supporting Actress for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, at the 80th Golden Globes awards night, Tuesday (Wednesday morning in Manila), at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.
For weeks now since members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced its annual list of Golden Globe nominees in various categories almost a month ago, momentum was on De Leon’s side, as many predicted her to prevail over her rivals, making her the first-ever Filipino actor, male or female, to win in the prestigious Hollywood-based award-giving body.
De Leon, who flew from Manila to Los Angeles a few days ago, wore a floor-sweeping black leather dress with matching gloves by AZ Factory, a high-end label founded by the late Alber Elbaz. Norman de Vera, AZ Factory’s creative director, is also Filipino.
Apart from De Leon and Bassett, the other names who vied for the Best Supporting Actress honor were Kerry Condon, Jamie Lee Curtis and Carey Mulligan. With the exception of De Leon, all of them are Hollywood staples.
But even if she lost, De Leon has already made history with her Golden Globe nomination.
Soon after the Golden Globes announced its list of nominees, members of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association revealed its roster of winners in various categories in late December. De Leon, who won Best Supporting Performance honors alongside actor Ke Huy Quan, will share the limelight with other winners, including perhaps lead performers Bill Nighy and the legendary Cate Blanchett, as she collects her award during formal ceremonies also in Los Angeles slated on January 14.
Although a veteran performer on Philippine stage, TV and the big screen, Dolly, 53, is a Hollywood newbie, who won the part of Abigail, the spunky housekeeping manager of an ill-fated cruise yacht in Triangle of Sadness, over her Filipino rivals after a series of auditions conducted by director Ruben Östlund and his team in Manila in 2018.
“I merely responded to a local casting director’s invitation to audition,” the UP Theater Arts graduate said. “I believe there were around 40 of us who competed for the part. I didn’t think much would come out of it because I don’t usually do well in auditions. Imagine how surprised and thrilled I was when they called a month later informing me that I won the part. I was literally shouting and jumping for joy.”
In the same interview, which is coming out in PeopleAsia’s Feb-March issue, Dolly, a mother of four, also shared with the magazine her struggles as a working actor who has been doing mostly bit and supporting roles for nearly three decades now.
“Mahirap (It was hard),” she said, “and the pay was so small. Bihira na nga ’yung work, pangit pa madalas ’yung roles, tapos maliit pa ang bayad. So, ’di ba, parang impyerno kung iisipin mo. But I stuck to it! (Work came in trickles, the roles were mostly bad and the pay was a pittance. If you think about it, it was like hell.)”
De Leon also recently earned a Best Supporting Actress nomination for the same role in the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. The American Academy Award of Merit, more popularly known as the Oscars, has yet to reveal its set of nominees this year. The Golden Globes is a curtain-raiser in the American film awards season and precursor of likely nominees in other award-giving bodies, including the Oscars.
Filipinos the world over are keeping their fingers crossed.
