The 2024 Golden Globe nominations were announced on Monday, Dec. 11, and they’ve already generated quite a bit of internet buzz. The Golden Globes are an annual award ceremony for film and television, often seen as a precursor to the Academy Awards which take place later in the award season. One person that Riverdale fans in particular are excited to see a nomination for is Charles Melton.
Melton was nominated for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role for the film May December, which he starred in alongside Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore. In the film, Melton portrayed Joe Yoo, a 36-year-old man who married Gracie, a woman (played by Moore) that preyed on him when he was 13 years old. Portman plays an actress who visits Joe and Gracie and their kids to prepare to play Gracie in a movie adaptation of their lives. Melton’s performance has been praised as “unforgettable” and “powerful.” This is his first time being nominated for a Golden Globe award. Melton is up against five other actors for this award, many of whom are awards season veterans, including Ryan Gosling from Barbie and Robert Downey Jr. from Oppenheimer.
Prior to starring in May December, many fans knew Melton from his role as Reggie Mantle on Riverdale. Riverdale, which ran for seven seasons on The CW before ending in August 2023, was often critiqued for being “cringeworthy.” Even the show’s actors had alluded to the strange plotlines they had to be a part of. Riverdale began as a murder mystery show based on the Archie comics series, but after Season 2, the show became a paranormal fantasy where the main characters had superpowers and could do things like bring people back from the dead. The show’s confusing time jumps, genre changes, and cringe dialogue resulted in thousands of memes and TikToks. Many viewers still enjoyed the show, but largely because of its camp elements.
Now, fans are excited to see Melton branching out beyond Riverdale and receiving a Golden Globe nomination for a “serious” movie. Many former Riverdale watchers took to social media to share their thoughts and well-wishes to the actor, as well as to defend the show itself from people who expressed shock over Melton’s acting abilities.
Tik Tok user @thechickflicksshow shared a similar sentiment that went viral, saying, “Let Charles Melton’s performance in May December be a reminder to you all that him, along with the cast of Riverdale? They were never bad actors. The reason that show was unbearable after Season 2 was always due to the writing.”
Other fans have joked online about Melton “escaping” Riverdale and being on the “greatest TV show of all time.”
Melton, however, might not agree that his transition into this new era was an “escape,” and seems to still have a lot of love for the show. When asked in November if he felt “stuck” in his role on Riverdale, Melton told Vanity Fair, “Before I booked Riverdale, I dreamed for an opportunity like that and it came. But I think the sense of wanting to do more with your work and your work evolving is great.”
In a November interview with Extra TV, he also said, “I’m just so grateful [for Riverdale]. Being a part of that show for six years of my life, it was like the greatest acting school. I made so many relationships and worked with so many directors and just [have] so, so much gratitude.”
If Melton wins the Golden Globe award, it would be the first time that actors of Asian descent win two years in a row, after Ke Huy Quan won earlier in 2023 for his role in Everything Everywhere All At Once. His performance may also earn him an Academy Award nomination, as the Golden Globe nominations often line up with Oscar nominations. Melton’s nomination has been groundbreaking already, and if he wins, he has the potential to make an even bigger impact on film history.