Celebrity / Movies / TV

Golden Globes Throwback: Laura Dern Was Miss Golden Globe When She Was 15 and She Was Serving an Entire Look

The title of Miss Golden Globe, now The Golden Globes Ambassador, has always been an honor. But no one served harder than actress Laura Dern in 1982.

by Catherine Wright

Published on January 12, 2020

2 min read

Each year at the Golden Globe Awards, the child of an actor or director serves as the Golden Globe Ambassador. The position used to be called “Miss Golden Globe,” as it was intended for the daughter of a celebrity. However, the title was rebranded as a gender-neutral “Ambassador” in 2018, to catch up with the times.

First designated in 1963, celebrity parents apparently compete very fiercely for their son or daughter to snag the role. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (the voting body that decides the winners of the Golden Globes) chooses several candidates, and the association’s president decides the Ambassador from the array of candidates. In the past, the daughters of Jamie Foxx, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Whoopi Goldberg have served as Ambassadors. This year, Pierce Brosnan’s sons served as the Golden Globes Ambassadors. But back in the day, beloved Jurassic Park and Big Little Lies star Laura Dern gave us everything we needed in the role of Miss Golden Globe.

Young Laura Dern as Miss Golden Globe is everything we’re looking for in this life

One writer on Twitter recently found a picture of actress Laura Dern as Miss Golden Globe in 1982. Back then, Dern was only 15 years old. Other tweeters noticed that Dern was absolutely killing the game.

“Laura Dern serving as Miss Golden Globe at age 15 (!!)” New York Times writer Kyle Buchanan tweeted.

Laura Dern serving as Miss Golden Globe at age 15 (!!) pic.twitter.com/a6YHCfkkZV
— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) January 6, 2020

One follower responded, “So she’s always had high powered divorce attorney energy!” (A clever Marriage Story reference).

“That swooped hair tho,” another tweeter commented. Another Twitter user remarked at the way she has aged.

“Somehow 30 at 15, but 40 at 52,” they wrote.

Dern went on to be awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press five times

Laura Dern’s role as Miss Golden Globe was quite auspicious; the actress went on to be nominated for the award eight times. She has a great track record, too: she’s won five out of those eight. Dern’s most recent statue was for her role in Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story.

Laura Dern at the Golden Globes — Laura Dern, the 1982 Miss Golden Globe | CBS via Getty Images

But Dern is not the only formerly-known-as Miss Golden Globe to go on to win the award. Actresses Anne Archer, Melanie Griffith, Dakota Johnson have all been granted the same honor. Perhaps this is why celebrity parents fight tooth-and-nail for their child to get the role; it’s helped launch a career for many of the young actors.

Who were the Golden Globe Ambassadors in 2020?

The awards show mixed it up in 2020 by honoring two Ambassadors instead of the usual one.

Pierce Brosnan at the Golden Globes — Actor Pierce Brosnan and his sons, Golden Globe Ambassadors Paris and Dylan Brosnan | Paul Drinkwater/NBCUniversal Media, LLC via Getty Images

At the most recent Golden Globes, Pierce Brosnan introduced his two sons, Paris and Dylan Brosnan, as the Ambassadors. The young men shared about the charity they were raising money for: FEED, which helps hungry children all over the world.

“Having this opportunity to turn the spotlight outward on kids experiencing hunger is a true privilege,” Dylan Brosnan wrote in a press release.