(Photo by Sthanlee B. Mirador/SIPA USA/AP)
Actor Darren Criss became the first Filipino American to win a Golden Globe award on Sunday, January 6.
Criss accepted the award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series for his role as Andrew Cunanan, the half-white, half Filipino serial killer, in “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.”
This was Criss’ first Globes nomination and win.
In his acceptance speech during the 76th Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel, Criss recognized how the entertainment industry has improved in terms of representation.
“This has been a marvelous year for representation in Hollywood and I am so enormously proud to be a teeny-tiny part of that as the son of a firecracker Filipino woman,” the award-winning actor said.
He also paid tribute to his Filipina mother, Cerina Bru, who hails from Cebu.
He added, “So, Mom, I know you are watching this. You are hugely responsible for most of the good things in my life. I love you dearly. I dedicate this to you.”
He described Ryan Murphy’s mini-series as “a grim story to make,” noting that it tells the tale of a murderer who killed five people including fashion designer Gianni Versace.
Criss acknowledged that the role gave him the chance to be the first Filipino-American to ever win a Golden Globe award. Aside from dedicating his award to his Cebuana mother and Filipino heritage, he also expressed his gratitude to his fiance Mia Swier.
“I’ve said this before, but being half Filipino is one of my favorite things about me,” Criss said backstage, as reported by Deadline. ” I feel like I have been given a superhero cape and I am glad to step up to that plate.”
The former Glee actor won against Golden Globe nominees Antonio Banderas in “Genius: Picasso,” Daniel Brühl in “The Alienist,” Benedict Cumberbatch in “Patrick Melrose” and Hugh Grant in “A Very English Scandal.”
Criss also won an Emmy for the said role and is nominated for a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award.
“The Assassination of Gianni Versace” was the second season of FX’s true crime anthology series, “American Crime Story.”
The show also won this year’s Golden Globe for Best Limited Television Series.
Criss joined the cast — including Edgar Ramírez, Penélope Cruz, Ricky Martin and Jon Jon Briones — and director Ryan Murphy on stage to accept the award.
