Break out the cheap wine and the non-traceable visa gift cards. If I Had Legs I’d Kick You star Rose Byrne, was anywhere but hovering near a digital screen when the 2026 Golden Globe nominations rolled in on Monday morning. In fact, similarly to her onscreen character, she was having some personal time with her children walking them to school.
Eventually, she had heard the news about her nomination for Best Performance By a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy from writer-director Mary Bronstein. “I was in the housewife-ing, in the zone, and I saw Mary’s call. I knew she would either be calling me to commiserate or congratulate,” Byrne told Deadline. “So, it was really wonderful that we could celebrate and laugh. We couldn’t believe it.”
On the runway to the bigger award season ahead, the dark comedy has garnered nominations from the Gotham Awards, the Astra, the Critics’ Choice Awards, and the Film Independent Spirit Awards for both Bronstein and Byrne in Best Director and Best Lead Performance, respectively. Byrne also most recently won Best Actress at the New York Film Critics Circle.
Below, the actor talks to Deadline about her Globe nomination and the fun challenge of playing a complex mother in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.
DEADLINE: It’s been a while since your Golden Globe TV nomination for Damages. How does it feel to be back in the mix? Where were you when you found out?
ROSE BYRNE: I’m so thrilled and honored to be amongst this group of extraordinary actresses. They’re all just brilliant and bring everything to their art form. I’m such a fan. Our movie is such a tiny movie, and the movie is the character, and the character is the movie. So, this nomination feels like a true acknowledgement of Mary Bronstein’s singular, brilliant, unique, and extraordinary film.
DEADLINE: The film and your performance have placed quite a few spots within the different critic organizations.
BYRNE: I’ve given up long ago trying to predict what will or won’t be seen or acknowledged. I simply can’t crack the code. So having this happen is an experience. I think the film is outstanding, wild and challenging, so any critical acknowledgement has been extraordinary. The movie is unlike anything you’ve ever seen and like nothing you’ll ever experience – and Mary shot it in 27 days. It’s important to also see this as a female story, through a female lens. It’s wonderful to be part of this season because there are many stories being told through that perspective.
DEADLINE: The movie is so emotionally stirring and, for some, very jarring. What was the most challenging thing about encapsulating this role in the movie?
BYRNE: Well, everything, but weirdly, the first day was the hardest. We shot the first scene on the first day and established how close the camera would be to my face. So, I quickly understood that this movie was going to stretch my abilities in every way, creatively and technically. The level of stakes in this character in this film was sort of beyond anything I’d done before. But the adrenaline required carried me through. It was also extremely challenging to be mean to A$AP Rocky. He’s the most charismatic person on the planet. I’d be like, “I can’t believe I’m being mean to this guy. He seems really nice and friendly.”
DEADLINE: There are so many themes going on in this movie. The stress of parenthood, children who are sick, depression, you name it. What do you think people are resonating with?
BYRNE: I think the more specific a story is, the more universal it is. And this is a very specific story that most mothers will not have to go through. Even so, it’s relatable in the sense that you might not have kids, but you could be a caretaker or a person who has had an extremely traumatic experience. It’s about trauma more than anything and therefore speaks to everybody.
There’s also something about the film being so genre-defying that it plays differently to different audiences like a magic trick. At the Toronto Film Festival, it was a younger college crowd, so it played like a horror movie. In New York, the crowd vibe was more sophisticated, so it played like a dark comedy straightaway – they knew they had permission to laugh. In Germany, at the Berlin Festival, it played like a straight cerebral drama. It’s a total prism. This film just reflects off the audience in a way that I’ve never experienced a movie like that before.
DEADLINE: I can only imagine the conversations that you’d had with mothers who have seen this film.
BYRNE: I stand on the shoulders of these women. We spoke to so many women with kids with special needs, and hearing their stories was a privilege of my life. I felt so honored that they trusted me enough to share them with me. It is a varied experience regarding how people cope with what happens in their lives and what their children are going through. It’s God’s work. I’ve heard from so many women that they feel heard and seen, that’s really special.
DEADLINE: What would you like to share about Platonic Season 3 or The Good Daughter adaptation?
BYRNE: They’re both such different projects that I am proud to have come out. Platonic keeps finding an audience more and more, and that’s endearing. I’ve had so many people approach me about that show to tell me that they enjoy it or have recently discovered it. It’s the most fun job in the world: working with my friends. For The Good Daughter, that’s a very fun genre thriller. It’s a great piece, and I’m excited for people to see it because it harks back to a genre I haven’t done for many, many years. Working with Meghann Fahy has been an absolute delight; she’s so talented.
The 83rd annual Golden Globes ceremony will air on CBS and stream on Paramount+ on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. PT/8:00 p.m. ET
[This interview has been edited for length and clarity]
