Written by Greer McDonald - The Dominion Post
Kiwi actress Anna Paquin is the toast of Hollywood and her "Wellywood" family after beating out A-list actresses to take home her first Golden Globe.Paquin, 26, won the best actress in a television series award for her role on the HBO vampire television series, True Blood.
International media have labelled her the "surprise winner" after she beat Sally Field from Brothers and Sisters, Law & Order actress Mariska Hargitay, Kyra Sedgwick from The Closer and January Jones from Mad Men.
Paquin, adorned in a deep purple gown, accepted her award about 2.30pm NZ time yesterday.
"This is awesome, I'm so excited," she said.
When she spoke backstage after she received the award, she said she fought hard to land the role.
"I was the pale brunette from New Zealand, and I'm playing the Southern tanned blonde, essentially a Hooters waitress," Variety magazine quoted her as saying.
"It wasn't the most obvious casting choice, but I just really wanted it and I didn't stop until they said yes."
She said she could not compare her Globe win to her Oscar win for The Piano at just 11-years-old.
"I don't even remember that, it was very blurry and crazy," she said.
"This is quite blurry and crazy, too, but at least I'm old enough to drink and stay out past 10pm."
Her family also expressed their excitement at her win through a statement delivered by Green Party co-leader Russel Norman, whose partner, Katya, is Paquin's older sister.
"On behalf of the New Zealand family, we are absolutely thrilled and very proud of Anna," he said.
"We'll certainly be toasting Anna tonight, we'll crack open a bottle of bubbly and toast her."
Paquin missed out on her first Globe in 1993 when she was nominated for her supporting actress role in The Piano. Winona Ryder took home the award.
Just weeks later, Paquin made history when she beat Ryder and won an Academy Award for her role.
In 2008, Paquin was nominated for an Emmy for the TV movie Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.
True Blood is set in a small town in a world where, thanks to the invention of synthetic blood, vampires no longer have to feast on humans.
Paquin plays the character of Sookie Stackhouse who has the ability to hear people's thoughts, so is open-minded about the integration of vampires with other humans.
Prime Television took advantage of the win, announcing it had secured the 12-part series which would be screened "shortly".
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