A celebration of women! Glenn Close and Lady Gaga tied for Best Actress at the 2019 Critics’ Choice Awards on Sunday, January 13, and couldn’t be happier about it.
Close, 71, who won for her role in The Wife, was the first to be announced and was “thrilled” that she tied with the A Star Is Born actress. “I was thinking that the world kind of pits us against each other in this profession, and I know from all the women in this category – and I think I can speak for all of the women in this room – we celebrate each other! We’re proud to be in this room together,” she said, before Gaga was announced.
When the “I’ll Never Love Again” singer took the stage for the second time – she accepted the award for Best Song for “Shallow” earlier in the evening – she was completely shocked, with tears in her eyes.
“I spilled water all over myself,” the 32-year-old Grammy winner said, before congratulating Close. “My mother and Glenn are good friends, so I am so very happy that you won this this evening … I am so honored by this. I went to places in my mind and in my heart that I did not know existed or that I could. This is a tremendous honor. I feel recognized not just for my performance but for the inner work that it took in the creation of this character.”
Gaga thanked her fiancé, Christian Carino, calling him “my love,” and then her costar and director, Bradley Cooper.
“Bradley, you are a magical filmmaker and you are just as magical of a human being,” the actress, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, said. “I have never had an experience with a director or an actor like I had with you and I will cherish it forever. You seamlessly were both the love of my life and the man behind the camera.”
When the music began playing, signaling that it was time for her to wrap up, the Golden Globe winner looked at him and quipped, “It’s OK. I can still do this with a piano background.”
She also thanked “life” during her speech and dedicated the award to all of those who have suffered from alcohol abuse or addiction. “I wanted nothing more to show the truth,” she said. “This is the true star of the film. The true star of the film is not me it is bravery and perseverance.”
