Rhea Seehorn’s Golden Globe win for Pluribus landed with both celebration and surprise, especially for the actor herself.
Seehorn took home the award for Best Actress in a Television Drama for her role as Carol Sturka in Apple TV+’s Pluribus, marking her first-ever Golden Globe nomination and win. Overcome with emotion, she admitted from the stage that she hadn’t fully prepared for the moment.
“My speech says, ‘Get a prescription for beta blockers,’ but I did not,” Seehorn said while clutching a piece of paper. “Sorry! I’m going to do my best. I’m sorry, I am just a little shocked!”
Before she even began her remarks, she detoured into a heartfelt aside to one of her presenters, Queen Latifah, recalling a brief encounter decades earlier. “I met you about 20 years ago between jobs at a Koo Koo Roo and you were so nice,” she said, laughing. “So thanks!”
A Queer Character Beyond the Label
Backstage in the winners room, Seehorn expanded on what the role of Carol, a queer woman grieving the loss of her wife, means to her, particularly at a time when LGBTQ+ characters are finally allowed to exist with depth.
Asked how it felt to portray a queer character who is complex rather than defined solely by identity, Seehorn was direct.
“That is not the remarkable thing about her,” she said. “It is part of who she is as a human being.”
She explained that Carol’s queerness isn’t framed as commentary or symbolism within Pluribus. Instead, it’s treated as one piece of a life shaped by love, loss, and partnership.
“Her relationship with her wife that she’s lost is giving so much weight because it is a partnership of love,” Seehorn said. “It has nothing to do, Vince is not trying to make a political statement.”
According to Seehorn, creator Vince Gilligan’s intention was never to underline Carol’s sexuality as a message. “He’s actually just trying to say something about being human and what real love is,” she added. “And so it makes me very proud that it just happens to be a queer woman.”
A Win Years in the Making
While Pluribus earned Seehorn her first Globe, the actor has long been a critical favorite. She is widely beloved for portraying Kim Wexler on Better Call Saul, a role that brought her multiple Emmy, Critics’ Choice, and SAG Award nominations during the show’s six-season run.
Earlier this awards season, Seehorn won the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series for Pluribus, setting the stage for her Globe moment.
During her acceptance speech, she made a point to acknowledge each of her fellow nominees by name, including Kathy Bates (Matlock), Britt Lower (Severance), Helen Mirren (MobLand), Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us), and Keri Russell (The Diplomat).
She also took a moment to recognize the support she’s felt from other women during awards season. “I’ve been at a lot of these parties that get pretty scary for someone like me sometimes,” she said. “And the women in this room have been incredible in the last couple of weeks.”
Gratitude, Grounded
Seehorn closed her speech by thanking Pluribus collaborators, friends, and family, and by acknowledging the career that brought her here.
“I am still so grateful that I get to do this for a living,” she said. “And this is incredible icing on that cake.”
Pluribus was also nominated for Best Television Drama Series, capping off a breakout night for the Apple TV+ series, and cementing Seehorn’s long-awaited awards moment.
