73rd Annual Golden Globes: Viola Davis, Rami Malek, Lady Gaga and More Nominee Reactions

Rami Malek and Christian Slater of Mr. Robot

Golden Globes - key art2016 nominations were filled with surprises. Here’s what the nominees had to say:

RELATED: More Scoop About the Golden Globes

Jenji Kohan (creator, Best TV Series/Comedy of Musical,Orange Is the New Black)

“Very cool to be recognized by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Thanks Globe people!”

Lee Daniels (co-creator, Best TV Series/Drama, Empire)

“I am humbled by this recognition from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.  To everyone tuning in week after week, embracing our stories and characters, I thank you.  And a very special thanks to my partner in crime Danny Strong and the team that made this happen–cast, crew, and everyone at Fox.”

  • Added Taraji (Best Actress, TV Drama, Empire): “Yes God! Thank you for breathing life into Cookie.  Again so humbled and honored.”

Ronald D. Moore (executive producer, Best TV Series/Drama, Outlander)

“I’m very excited and proud of the entire Outlander team in both Scotland and the US who have worked so hard to make this possible. Thank you to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for honoring us. Congratulations to Cait and Tobias at having their indelible performances recognized and special thanks to Sony Pictures Television and Starz for their unwavering support and belief in this show from the very beginning. The team is back in Scotland working hard on shooting Season Two.” Plus: Roger D. Moore Discusses Sam Heughan’s Snub

Maril Davis (executive producer, Best TV Series/Drama, Outlander)

“We’re thrilled and excited that Outlander has been nominated for a Golden Globe award for Best Drama and that Caitriona Balfe and Tobias Menzies have been recognized for their tremendous work. We’re so proud of our amazing cast, crew and writers. A huge thank you to the HFPA for recognizing our actors and our show. It’s a tremendous honor.”

Moira Walley-Beckett (executive producer, Best TV Miniseries or Movie, Flesh & Bone)

“I was hiking a trail in Ojai, CA when I got the news and my yelp of joy startled my dogs so much that they came running back to check on me! It’s especially thrilling to be recognized by the Hollywood Foreign Press for Flesh and Bone because it is such a passion project for me! And I couldn’t be happier for my shining star Sarah Hay! I’m over the moon!”

Regina King (Best Supporting Actress, TV Series, American Crime)

“I am so elated and honored to be nominated for my first Golden Globe for a role that resonated with the viewers. I want to thank my fellow cast members and the whole crew of America Crime as it takes a village and I couldn’t have done it without them.”

Rami Malek (Best Actor, TV Drama, Mr. Robot)

“I felt like we had something special from the onset, and you just never know how it’s going to be received. There was definitely a strong outpouring from fans who could relate during these tumultuous times, but to have it recognized by the HFPA, who I think do such an excellent job at recognizing pivotal things such as this, and SAG, it takes it to an entirely different platform and level. Man, I’m just trying to soak it all in. I think I’m just going to call everyone that has helped me along the way and thank them. I think that’s a celebration in its own right. I’m nominated with actors that I’ve admired for years and just to be alongside them is a really special feeling. I’ll say to have the network USA represented there and our producer Sam Esmail and Chad Hamilton with me, who I look at as brothers now, to be celebrating that alongside all these people we respect will be a very special moment that will stick with me for the rest of my years.”

Maura Tierney (Best Supporting Actress, TV Series, The Affair)

“I’m very excited and honored to be nominated by the HFPA. We had a great season on the show, and it’s wonderful to be recognized for the work.”

Christian Slater (Best Supporting Actor, TV Series, Mr. Robot)

“I love the HFPA. I’ve been a huge fan of that show and those awards for as long as I’ve been in this business. So I was thrilled and they’re a great group of people, and I’ve always admired their selections and their taste and their judgement, so to be included in this is thrilling. The feeling this morning was certainly surreal. And you always kind of wonder how you’re going to feel being nominated for a Golden Globe when you’re an actor and, from my own experience, you get a wonderful tingly feeling.

“Getting involved with the show, it’s impossible to predict how people are going to react to it. It was certainly a subject matter that not a lot of people knew a great deal about, but after we made the pilot, a lot of crazy things started happening in the world—the Sony hack and a lot of the things that we were filming and that Sam [Esmail] was writing were mirroring what we were doing on that particular day of shooting. So it was great for the show, but also a little bit scary to be living in a world where those things were actually happening. I think it’s certainly raised my level of awareness. I certainly see the Internet as a phenomenal, wonderful, powerful tool, but in the wrong hands, it can also be a very dangerous weapon. It’s made me more aware of who my kids are talking to, who is talking to them, so with that knowledge, I’ve certainly gotten much more involved in monitoring, at least until they’re the age of 18, what they’re up to.

“[Tonight] I’m going to a nice holiday party already that was set up this evening with some friends and some family, so this will just be a wonderful added bonus to that. It was exciting to be able to call my family this morning and deliver some good news.”

Caitriona Balfe (Best Actress, TV Drama, Outlander)

“I’m absolutely thrilled and honoured to be nominated alongside these incredible actresses and for a show that has been such a wonderful experience for me. A big thank you to the HFPA as well as STARZ, Sony and my Outlander family, both here in Scotland and back in the States.”

Tobias Menzies (Best Supporting Actor, TV Drama, Outlander)

“Very excited to be nominated for the Golden Globes and flattered to be in such talented company. I feel indebted to the brilliant team who make the show, and the hundreds of crew who contributed so much. And, obviously, as a child of the ’80s, any list with Christian Slater on it is good with me! Thank you to the HFPA for making my childhood fantasies a reality.”

Rachel Bloom (Best Actress, TV Comedy/Musical, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)

“I woke up to my own heart beating. Because I’ve been up for so long and didn’t get a ton of sleep; this does not feel real yet. I might still be half-asleep and dreaming.” Plus: Read who Rachel Bloom Would Wrestle for the Award

Rachel Bloom (Best Actress, TV Comedy/Musical, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for Sarah Hay in “Flesh & Bone”

Sarah Hay (Best Actress, TV Miniseries of Movie, Flesh & Bone)

“I’ve never been more grateful and excited in my whole life. Thank you so much.”

Uzo Aduba (Best Supporting Actress, TV Series, Orange Is the New Black)

Lady Gaga (Best Actress, TV Miniseries or Movie, American Horror Story: Hotel)

Patrick Stewart (Best Actor, TV Comedy or Musical, Blunt Talk)

Alan Cumming (Best Supporting Actor, TV Series, Miniseries or Movie, The Good Wife)

Gina Rodriguez (Best Actress, TV Comedy or Musical, Jane the Virgin)

Viola Davis (Best Actress, TV Drama, How to Get Away With Murder)

Rob Lowe (Best Actor, TV Comedy or Musical, Rob Lowe)

Taraji P. Henson (Best Actress, TV Drama, Empire)

Noah Hawley (creator, Fargo)

Sam Esmail (creator, Mr. Robot)

Zander Lehmann (creator, Casual)

— Additional reporting by Rob Moynihan