Awards season officially kicked off this week with the announcement of nominees for both Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards. Once again, Westchester County was well-represented, seeing seven award nominations in top categories going to productions that filmed right here in Westchester.
County Executive George Latimer said: “These nominations highlight our diverse locations and film-friendly climate. The recognition signals the quality of production that’s taking place in Westchester, and represents just a small slice of the success we have had with the film and television industry. Going forward, we’re eager to work with location scouts and managers, producers, directors and designers to help plan successful and safe productions.”
Among the celebrated shows is the HBO Max comedy, “The Flight Attendant,” which features actress Kaley Cuoco as the flight attendant whose life unravels after she wakes up in a hotel room next to a dead man, with no memory of what happened. Cuoco and the ensemble cast received Golden Globe and SAG nominations for acting. The show was also nominated in the Golden Globe category, Best Series, Musical or Comedy. Several scenes were filmed in Westchester, including the Motel 6 in Elmsford, The Galleria in White Plains, and at a private residence on Buckout Road in West Harrison.
This year’s nominees also include the Amazon drama, “Hunters,” starring the legendary Al Pacino, which follows a band of Nazi hunters in 1977 New York City. Pacino earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a TV drama for his starring role in the show. The production filmed at Untermeyer Gardens in Yonkers and in the Village of Ossining, which stood in for Paraguay for the opening scene in the fifth episode.
Ramy Youssef, who stars in the self-titled Hulu comedy, “Ramy,” earned best acting nods from both the Hollywood Foreign Press (Golden Globes) and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). Now in its second season, the show most recently filmed at the Westchester County Correctional Facility.
Westchester County Tourism & Film Director Natasha Caputo said: “Westchester County is attractive to the industry because of our diversity of locations, which offer ample space to spread out and socially distance on set. We can stand in for any backdrop required, from small-town scenes and rural landscapes to urban and industrial settings, historic mansions, hospitable hotels, and film-friendly airport and correctional facility.”
Latimer added: “It’s not only a joy to see Westchester’s landscapes featured in award-winning productions, it’s also good to know that the activity brings economic benefit. The nominations represent just a small slice of the success we have had with the film and television industry, which generated $45 million in economic impact in 2019. Film is an important economic driver in Westchester and it will be important to our recovery in 2021.”
Notably, several nominees with ties to Westchester received both Golden Globe and SAG nominations, among them Scarsdale native Aaron Sorkin, who received nods for his motion picture, Trial of the Chicago 7, and Jason Bateman, born in Rye, who was nominated for Best Actor in a television series, drama, for his work in Ozark.
The 78th annual Golden Globe Awards will air live on Feb. 28 starting at 8 p.m. ET on NBC; this year’s SAG Awards will air live Sunday, April 4 at 9 p.m. ET simulcast on TNT and TBS.
Golden Globe Nominees
Best musical comedy series
Flight Attendant
Best Actress in a TV series, comedy or musical
Kaley Cuoco - Flight Attendant
Best actor in a TV series, drama
Al Pacino – Hunters
Best actor in a TV series, comedy or musical
Ramy Youssef - Ramy
SAG Nominees
Ensemble in a Comedy Series
The Flight Attendant
Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Kaley Cuoco – The Flight Attendant
Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Ramy Youssef – Ramy