Bay Area natives Ali Wong and Jon M. Chu won awards at the Golden Globe Awards Sunday night.
Wong won her second Golden Globe award after her comedy special “Single Lady” won best stand-up comedy special. Chu directed the popular movie adaptation “Wicked”, which won the cinematic and box office achievement award. The movie was the top grossing Broadway adaptation in box office history– earning $681.3 million since its release.
During her acceptance speech, Wong credited her success to her San Francisco roots.
“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for all the stage time I got there and the practice I got for being a stand-up comedian,” said Wong. “I’d really like to thank… the S.F. Punch Line Comedy Club.”
Chu, who grew up in Palo Alto, emphasized the importance of positivity in his speech.
“It shows us how important making this stuff is, in a time when pessimism and cynicism sort of rule the planet right now, that we can still make art that is a radical act of optimism,” said Chu emotionally.
Wong and Chu, who are both Asian-American, were among many Asian people who won awards Sunday night, largely due to “Shogun”, a historical drama series set in feudal Japan. “Shogun” won overall best television series, and 3 actors from the show won awards.