Marquette alumna Amy Madigan was nominated for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture for a Golden Globe for her performance as the demonic Aunt Gladys in the hit horror “Weapons.”
Originally from Chicago, Madigan graduated from Marquette’s College of Arts & Sciences in 1972 with a degree in philosophy before studying at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York City. She then went on to star in movies like “Uncle Buck,” “Streets of Fire” and most famously, “Field of Dreams,” where she played Annie, the wife of Ray (Kevin Costner).
Not only was Madigan nominated for her fourth Golden Globe of her career, she also won the Critics’ Choice Award on Jan. 4 for Best Supporting Actress for Aunt Gladys. Madigan made history as the oldest actress to win this award, at age 75.
Released in August 2025, “Weapons” was one of the biggest movies in 2025, grossing over $151 million domestically and $117 million internationally, according to Box Office Mojo. It was also nominated by the Golden Globes for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement but lost to “Sinners.” “Weapons” also took home the Critics’ Choice award for Best Hair and Makeup.
The film follows elementary school teacher Justine Gandy (Julia Garner) after all but one of the children in her class disappear on the same night, at the same time (2:17 a.m.) and in the same fashion – all with their arms extended out behind their backs, running full speed to one specific house in the neighborhood.
The film also follows Archer Graff (Josh Brolin), a father to a child who disappeared on that fateful Wednesday night, school Principal Miller (Benedict Wong), police Officer Paul Morgan (Alden Ehrenreich) and junkie and thief James (Austin Abrams), who all get caught up in this mystery.
Aunt Gladys is director Zach Cregger’s nightmarish idea of a witch who comes to take care of Alex (Cary Christopher), the only child in Ms. Gandy’s class who did not run away, after she possesses his parents.
As Gladys, Madigan dons white face paint, messy red lipstick, scribbled blue eyeshadow and a bright red wig with micro bangs. Visually, she can be off-putting – it’s not hard to see that this woman is hiding something.
Madigan’s performance itself is even more unsettling. She will do whatever it takes to hide her wickedness, killing whoever blocks her path.
Aunt Gladys’ visual presentation is obviously a little campy, which is something Madigan takes advantage of, with her overly polite voice and eccentric facial expressions. She’s the movie’s idea of complete evil, but confident and safe in this portrayal. Madigan’s performance as Aunt Gladys really sells the horror in this movie.
Madigan was nominated against stars including Ariana Grande and Elle Fanning and ended up losing to Teyana Taylor for her performance in “One Battle After Another.” Madigan won a Golden Globe back in 1990 for her performance as Sarah Weddington in “Roe v. Wade.” Based on the real story, Madigan plays one of two lawyers who work to file a lawsuit in an attempt to change the abortion laws in Texas.
The 2026 Golden Globes took place on Jan. 11 and were hosted by comedian Nikki Glaser. While neither “Weapons” nor Madigan took home any awards on Sunday, they won four Critics’ Choice Awards the previous Sunday and both are suspected to be nominated for Oscars. Madigan remains the only Marquette alumna to be nominated for a Golden Globe.
This article was written by Annie Goode. She can be reached at [email protected].
