Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach Are the Director Couple to Watch This Awards Season

• Little Women Director Greta Gerwig and Marriage Story Director Noah Baumbach have been in a relationship since 2011.
• The couple, who share a child together, have nominations for their respective films at the 2020 Golden Globes.
• Gerwig and Baumbach are expected to secure 2020 Oscars nominations as well.

As The Hollywood Reporter perfectly puts it, directors Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach are today's first couple of film. Gerwig, who directed the award-winning Lady Bird (2018) and beloved adaption of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women (2019), has been in a relationship with Baumbach since 2011 and shares a nine-month-old child named Harold with him. Baumbach, who has directed films like Kicking and Screaming (1995) and Mistress America (2015) is most recently known for his buzzy Netflix film, Marriage Story, starring Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson. That means at the 2020 Golden Globes—and the rest of the awards season—the couple will essentially be competing against each other. 

While Gerwig and Baumbach aren't nominated in Best Director categories at the 2020 Golden Globes, their films do have multiple nominations tonight. Gerwig's Little Women is nominated in two different categories: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama) for Saoirse Ronan's role as Jo March, and Original Score.

Meanwhile, Marriage Story has six total nominations. Scarlett Johansson is competing against Ronan for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama). In addition, Adam Driver is nominated for Best Actor in a Drama Motion Picture and Laura Dern is nominated for Supporting Actress in a Drama Motion Picture. The film also secured spots in the Best Original Score, Best Screenplay of Motion Picture, and Best Motion Picture categories.

Inevitably, the couple will be feeling the pressure this awards season (both films are expected to secure Oscar nominations)—but it also means they get each other.

"It's exciting to have mutual acknowledgment of the work that he and I have both put into [our movies]," Gerwig told The Hollywood Reporter. "There is a sense of wanting to show off for each other. At least on my part. I remember when I showed Noah cuts or drafts of Little Women. He's my favorite filmmaker and my favorite writer. It means everything to me that he thinks it's good."

Baumbach continues, "When we're working on our own projects, we're always talking about them and showing each other things. I always feel very much a part of what she's done. [Little Women] is absolutely hers, but it's not like I woke up one day and this movie's in theaters. She's been talking about it for a few years. It feels like, 'How great that this is being recognized in the way that you hoped it would.'"

Gerwig and Baumbach met on the set of Baumbach's comedy-drama Greenberg in 2009, but their relationship officially began in 2011—a year before Baumbach's divorce proceedings began with his ex-wife Jennifer Jason Leigh (you'll likely recognize her from Netflix's Atypical). Baumbach and Leigh's messy divorce is rumored to be the inspiration behind Marriage Story, though Baumbach claims the movie isn't autobiographical. 

It's exciting to watch the couple, especially Gerwig in a field dominated by male directors, nominated for their work at the same time. Best of luck to both directors this awards season!

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