Did you realize that it was possible for two actors to tie at the Critics' Choice Awards [1]? Hopefully you do by now, since the event featured not one, but two instances of a tie in best actress categories. The first was for best actress in a movie made for television or limited series, which saw Amy Adams and Patricia Arquette both winning [2]. The second was for best actress in a film, which went to both Glenn Close for The Wife, and Lady Gaga for A Star Is Born [3]. Close, as usual, delivered an incredible speech, but Gaga's is the one that had the audience weeping into their Champagne.
"I went to places in my mind and in my heart that I did not know existed, or that I could. Thank you so much to the BFCA; this is a tremendous honor. I feel recognized not just for my performance, but for the inner work it took in the creation of this character," she said through sobs, before acknowledging her A Star Is Born costar and director, Bradley Cooper [4]. "Bradley, you are a magical filmmaker. You are just as magical of a human being. I've never had an experience with a director or an actor like I had with you. I will cherish it forever. You were seamlessly both the love of my life and the man behind the camera."
The 32-year-old, who won earlier in the night for best song [6], went on to note that playing Ally in the movie was "one of the hardest things" she's ever done. "I was able to be vulnerable in a way I never had before because of that love and that trust . . . The true star of the film is not me — it's bravery and perseverance. Thank you, I love you."
Watch Gaga's powerful speech ahead, and then keep scrolling to see the best photo moments from her big win.
