Rose Byrne’s Golden Globe win didn’t just cap off awards season momentum, it marked a rare moment of reflection for an actor who’s been steadily shaping a career on her own terms.
Byrne took home the 2025 Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for her turn in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, beating out a stacked category that included Cynthia Erivo, Kate Hudson, Amanda Seyfried, Emma Stone, and Chase Infiniti. The win follows months of critical praise for her portrayal of Linda, a mother unraveling under pressure in Mary Bronstein’s darkly comic A24 film.
A Career-Spanning Pause in the Winners Room
Speaking with Gayety in the Golden Globes winners room, Byrne was asked to imagine traveling back in time to speak to her younger self — the early-career actor who first caught audiences’ attention years ago.
“It’s a wonderful kind of thing to be able to look back and see that person and think of myself now,” Byrne said. “It’s a surreal and sort of impossible exercise.”
Rather than framing the moment as validation, Byrne leaned into gratitude — and the sheer improbability of longevity in Hollywood.
“I feel extraordinarily grateful, and I never take a minute of this for granted,” she said. “It’s such an honor, and I love what I do. I don’t quite know what I would do if I didn’t have acting.”
Her words echoed the emotional tone of her onstage acceptance speech earlier in the evening, where she called the win “a shock” and shared the credit with writer-director Mary Bronstein.
“She wrote this unbelievable screenplay,” Byrne said during her speech. “She wanted me to do it. I can’t believe that you wanted me to do it.”
“The Role of a Literal Lifetime”
In the winners room, Byrne returned to that theme, crediting Bronstein for seeing something in her that even she hadn’t fully recognized.
“This was the role of literally a lifetime,” Byrne said. “I can’t thank Mary Bronstein enough for believing in me and knowing that I could do it, and that I was the one.”
The performance has already become a defining chapter in Byrne’s career. She’s picked up nominations from the Spirit Awards, Critics Choice Awards, and Screen Actors Guild, earning some of the strongest reviews she’s received in decades.
Reflecting on the intensity of the shoot, Byrne previously told W Magazine that the experience left her rattled.
“My adrenaline was so high shooting the film,” she said. “At the end, I felt very disoriented. I was scared to watch the finished film.”
A Missing Partner With a Very Specific Reason
While Byrne celebrated inside the Beverly Hilton, one familiar face was notably absent: her longtime partner Bobby Cannavale.
She offered a refreshingly offbeat explanation.
“He went to a reptile expo in New Jersey,” Byrne said with a smile, adding that her brother George stepped in as her date for the night.
The detail felt fitting for a ceremony that often leans polished, and a reminder that Byrne’s public persona remains grounded, even in a career milestone.
Looking Forward Without Looking Back Too Hard
As Byrne reflected on the arc of her career, she resisted easy sentimentality.
“Acting has given me such an extraordinary richness in my life,” she said. “I don’t take any of this lightly.”
For an actor who’s quietly built one of the most reliable résumés in the industry, the Golden Globe didn’t feel like an ending. It felt like a pause, just long enough to recognize how far she’s come before stepping forward again.
