The 2025 Golden Globe upsets we’d love to see
The Golden Globes go down on Sunday. We’ve already shared our expert predictions on who will win the film and TV prizes. And based on thousands of Gold Derby users’ votes, we have a clear picture of the odds in each race. But who among the less likely contenders really deserves to go home with the gold? Here are the big upset victories we’re cheering for this weekend.
Colman Domingo, Sing Sing — Best Film Drama Actor
It would be tremendously satisfying to see the magnificent Colman Domingo honored as Best Film Drama Actor for Sing Sing. The pundits rank Adrien Brody (The Brutalist), Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown), and Ralph Fiennes (Conclave) in front of him, but Domingo’s performance as John “Divine G” Whitfield is almost magical in its emotional complexity. It’s neither showy nor particularly intense, just genuine, like he was channeling the essence of the real-life man he’s portraying. Domingo is a magnetic performer whom the camera adores, and a Globe win here would be shocking but ever so justified. — Ray Richmond
Pamela Anderson, The Last Showgirl — Best Film Drama Actress
No single nominee elicited more cheers on nominations morning than Pamela Anderson, who is arguably having the best year yet of her three-decade-plus career. Everybody loves a comeback story, and Anderson’s narrative as Baywatch babe-turned-serious actress is one that’s easy to root for. She plays Shelly in The Last Showgirl, a Las Vegas dancer whose life is thrown into disarray when her long-running show closes its doors. The project is the very definition of an indie — it filmed in 18 days and cost less than $2 million — with Anderson calling it a “labor of love.” If anyone else’s name were attached to The Last Showgirl, it could have been forgotten come awards season. But thanks to Anderson’s star power, it’s now a Golden Globe nominee, with the Oscars on the horizon. — Marcus James Dixon
Nicole Kidman, Babygirl — Best Film Drama Actress
Angelina Jolie is first in the odds for Best Drama Actress for Maria. Of this year’s Globes drama actress nominees, she’s also currently the safest bet for an Oscar nomination. So that’s why I’m hoping Kidman can pull off the upset win on Sunday night. The Babygirl star is on the edge of the Oscar race in the very crowded Best Actress category, so a televised award win would be a huge boon for her candidacy — whereas if Jolie were to win at the Globes, it would just buttress her presumed Oscar nomination. A win for Kidman would also further complicate the Best Actress field — particularly for those who have already written the former Oscar winner off. That’s what makes the potential outcome so much fun. — Christopher Rosen
Andrew Scott, Ripley — Best TV Limited/Movie Actor
Richard Gadd won well-deserved Emmys for writing, acting in, and producing the limited series Baby Reindeer, and he’s the frontrunner to win Golden Globes for Best TV Limited/Movie Actor and Best TV Limited Series/Movie. But it’s time to spread the wealth. Specifically, it’s time to give Scott his flowers for his sinister reinvention of con artist Tom Ripley in Netflix’s limited series. He anchored Steven Zaillian‘s adaptation of Patricia Highsmith‘s novel, creating a compelling portrait of a man whose identity shifts according to what he needs or wants in any given moment. He’s slippery and unknowable, an amoral villain whose cunning is so impressive and whose anxiety is so palpable you almost want him to get away with murder. — Daniel Montgomery
Cristin Milioti, The Penguin — Best TV Limited/Movie Actress
Cristin Milioti delivered a career-best performance as Sofia Falcone in HBO’s The Penguin. The Batman superfan described landing the role as a “lifelong dream” and fully immersed herself in portraying a mob boss’ daughter who is framed for murder, institutionalized in a psychiatric ward, and then thrust back into society with a vendetta. As a first-time Golden Globe nominee, Milioti faces stiff competition for Best TV Limited/Movie Actress from awards heavyweights Jodie Foster (True Detective: Night Country), Cate Blanchett (Disclaimer), Sofia Vergara (Griselda), Naomi Watts (Feud: Capote vs. The Swans), and Kate Winslet (The Regime). This would be the first major award of Milioti’s career, and like Sofia Falcone, “I have hope.” — Denton Davidson
Jack Lowden, Slow Horses — Best TV Supporting Actor
Lowden received his first Emmy nomination last year for Season 3 of Slow Horses, but it’s his work in Season 4, for which he’s contending at the Globes, that demands accolades, as River reckoned with the father figures — and his biological father — in his life. The Scot is in third place in the Best TV Supporting Actor odds, but if there’s anyone who can chase down the frontrunners it’s TV’s best runner. — Joyce Eng
Note: Golden Globes producer Dick Clark Productions is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge and Penske Media Corporation, which owns Gold Derby.