In case you’re living under a rock, Rosamund Pike, gay icon, just won her first ever Golden Globe for her roles as Marla Grayson in “I Care A Lot.” It’s a pretty huge win for the criminally underrated actress who, despite star-making turns in movies like David Fincher’s “Gone Girl” and an extremely varied career that includes being a Bond girl for “Die Another Day” and an Austen girl in 2005’s “Pride & Prejudice,” has received little by way of actual accolades.
When I first saw the win, however, my first thought immediately went to my friend Ally, who runs the Twitter @rosamundpikes and has been a Rosamund Pike stan for almost two decades. I met her through our shared experience of being gay and loving middle-aged actresses who made us feel things, and I knew that she would be the best person to process with and talk about this win.
Okay first of all, how are you feeling? Are you basking in this moment? How much do you want to yell?
I am so so so happy. This was such an amazing moment. I am so ecstatic that she won a Golden Globe for this movie. I can’t even begin to describe how overwhelming it has been. I was in such a haze the whole day of the ceremony and even now, a day later, I am still feeling very emotional. I have so many feelings. I mean, it’s been almost 20 years of [me] being a fan, and this—her finally winning—is such a bright light in these trying times. I am overwhelmed with joy for Rosamund. I had to call a friend and yell at her.
[Also] Rosamund was so happy with her win, and seeing her that happy, nothing could make me [feel as much]. I feel so emotional just thinking about her reaction.
How did you get into stanning Rosamund?
I distinctly remember the first time it happened. It was 2002 and “Die Another Day” was about to come out, and I saw this big poster at the mall for the movie, and Rosamund was in it. And I remember thinking “Who is that?” and that’s when it started. I was 14 years old then. So long ago.
I love how she’s turned into this mature, confident, quirky actress right before my eyes. I’ve seen through the years how better she’s become in her craft and how her career and life have progressed. It makes me so happy how content she is with her life and her family.
What was fandom culture like then and now?
Stanning culture, as it is, is ever changing. Terms, names, memes, the way people interact with their faves, other fans, etc—[it] keeps changing. Back when I started being online in the early 2000s, social media apps were not a thing. You could not directly interact with an actor or actress online. Now you can just shoot them a tweet, and sometimes they reply. It’s still a strange feeling for me, that actors and actresses now get to see the things people are saying about them all the time, if they choose to. Stanning also comes in waves; fans get caught up in the “actor of the month” then it dies down a month or so later, and they move on to another one. It’s so easy now, information and media are so readily available now, when before it was hard to get anything.
Can you talk to me about some of your fandom blogs?
I won’t talk about the other ones because they’re embarrassing, haha, but I started fuckyeahrosamundpike (back when dedicated Tumblrs were still called fuckyeah) in 2010. Other people have worked on it and stuff but I started it in 2010 and… I was going through it and man, memories.
I made it because I could. It was 2010 and a dedicated Tumblr for her didn’t exist then so I made it. I remember doing a celebratory post when we hit 100 followers. It was pretty quiet from 2010 to 2014. I don’t even think we had 2,000 followers then. But then “Gone Girl” hit and it was getting like 500 followers per day. It was pretty quick.
What does this win mean for you as someone who’s been a fan for so long and so embedded within her fandom?
It’s hard to articulate how big this win is for me. I’ve spent my teens, my 20s and now my 30s being a fan of Rosamund. And sometimes I get a lull, but for the most part, I’ve never let go of my love for her and she has been an inspiration and a constant in my life for so long. No one knew me before I had Rosamund in my life. She’s always just been there. All my friends know this.
I think it’s so her that her first Golden Globe happened when the whole world went insane. Do you have any thoughts about her winning for “I Care A Lot” specifically?
Haha, yes. It’s so her. She’s always been against the current, so it’s kind of fitting that she won now.
“I Care A Lot” is special to me for a number of things. One, because she seems to have truly enjoyed the experience of filming this movie. She is beaming with pride and joy every time she talks about making this film. Two, as a lesbian in real life, the representation of Marla and Fran’s relationship in this film is so beautiful and nuanced, I love it, and Rosamund, for giving me that.
You know, I always think she has more accolades than she actually does. Like, it’s bonkers to me that she doesn’t have a BAFTA yet. Are there any roles you want to name that you think she should’ve gotten more acclaim for? “Gone Girl” is a given, haha.
There are a couple! She was fantastic in “The Libertine” (2004) and more recently, “Hostiles”—her acting especially in the beginning is particularly superb. And even though she got nominated for a Golden Globe for it, “A Private War” should have gotten more traction.
Did you see her response to being called a lesbian icon? Corollary question, why is her being a lesbian icon so true?
I did! I love it. I love how much she’s embraced it. It’s funny. I’ve been talking for years how she’s never played a gay role and now here we are! I got it! It makes me giddy just thinking about it. I love how she’s embraced this status.
Favorite Rosamund roles, go.
Amy Dunne. I can go on and on and on and on how much I love this role and how much I love Rosamund’s portrayal of her. The build-up to her playing this role—how her career seemed to be destined for this. And her journey—how she got into David Fincher’s radar, etc. I feel like it was the stars aligning.
As for her other roles, I mentioned Rosalee Quaid in “Hostiles.” Her character was so gut-wrenching and intense and quiet and nuanced all at the same time. Rosamund also played real-life journalist Marie Colvin. Such a fantastic performance of a real-life person. You can tell how much Rosamund admired Marie Colvin and how deeply she went into the role. She also played another famous Marie, Marie Curie. It was fantastic to see Rosamund play such an important person in history.
And of course now—Marla in “I Care A Lot” obviously. Because Marla was evil and human and funny and a kick-ass. I hope she gets more projects where she gets to be funny.
Not to be too presumptuous, but, like, Oscar? Maybe?
I don’t want to think about it, haha. If it happens, good. If it doesn’t then that’s okay. I was happy she got nominated for “Gone Girl” and that her performance was acknowledged.
I’d just like for her to continue doing projects she loves that feed her appetite. She has said after “Gone Girl” that she had this appetite to do more projects and I hope that continues, especially now that she has more of a name in the industry. I hope more good projects come her way.
Personally, I would love to see her in more comedies and a rom-com, haha.
I will just say this though: I love her because she’s unpredictable. Her career path is unpredictable. I wondered for years why I liked her so much, but in 2011 it clicked for me—you cannot predict what kind of project she will do next. With other actors you can kind of see a theme in the roles and projects they take. With Rosamund, I could not. She constantly keeps me on my toes. I love it. Plus her smile is the brightest smile I will ever see, and she loves her boys like no other. I could go on and on about her, but I’ll stop there, hehe. And now I leave you—thank you Rosamund for being your quirky adorable self. Grateful for what you have shared with the world.
Art by Neal Alday
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