Yahoo Movies Demi Moore earns surprising first Golden Globes victory as The Brutalist wins big
Horror movie The Substance earned Demi Moore her first ever Golden Globe and her first major acting award of any kind in her 45-year career.
The Golden Globes might have just set the stage for a great Oscars story after they rewarded Demi Moore's glorious performance in the gonzo squelch-fest The Substance. Moore delivered a tearful speech in one of the best Golden Globes moments of the night after winning the award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy.
Few had pegged Moore as a potential winner in the category, with other big hitters such as Cynthia Erivo (Wicked), Mikey Madison (Anora), and Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Pérez) also packed into the crowded field. But it was Moore who emerged victorious, thanking voters for giving her the first major acting honour of her storied career.
"I'm just in shock right now," said Moore as she took the stage to a huge ovation. "I've been doing this a long time, like over 45 years and this is the first time I've ever won anything as an actor. I'm just so humbled and so grateful."
The 62-year-old star also said in her speech that a producer 30 years ago once told her she was a "popcorn actress" and that she internalised this belief until the script for The Substance came along.
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She added: "At that time, I made that mean that this wasn’t something that I was allowed to have, that I could do movies that were successful, that made a lot of money, but that I couldn’t be acknowledged.
"I bought in, and I believed that, and that corroded me over time, to the point where I thought a few years ago that maybe this was it, maybe I was complete. I’ve done what I was supposed to do."
Golden Globes winners
Elsewhere, it was Emilia Pérez and The Brutalist that were the big Golden Globes winners in the film categories, leaving with four and three awards respectively.
The Brutalist won Best Picture (Drama) and Best Director — as well as Best Actor in a Drama for Adrien Brody, cementing itself as the frontrunner for Best Picture at the Oscars. The mammoth three-and-a-half-hour movie follows Brody as a Jewish architect trying to achieve the American Dream after fleeing Hungary during the Holocaust.
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The very odd Netflix musical Emilia Pérez overcame divisive reviews to win Best Musical or Comedy and Best Supporting Actress for Zoe Saldaña, as well as Best Foreign Language Film and Best Original Song. It's a bizarre story about a transgender crime boss who enlists a lawyer to help her transition into a new life as a woman.
The other acting categories saw Kieran Culkin continue his march to the Best Supporting Actor prize at the Oscars for A Real Pain, as well as Sebastian Stan securing Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for his transformative work in A Different Man. Brazilian star Fernanda Torres scored a big upset in the Best Actress in a Drama category, winning for I'm Still Here ahead of the likes of Nicole Kidman and Angelina Jolie.
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Surprisingly, box office sensation Wicked went home nearly empty-handed, only winning the award for "Cinematic and Box Office Achievement". Accepting the prize, director Jon M Chu said: "In a time where pessimism and cynicism rule the planet, that we can still make art that is a radical act of optimism that is empowerment and that is joy … this means so much to all of us."
Wicked also found itself as the butt of numerous jokes from Globes host Nikki Glaser — whose opening monologue was well-received — including several nods to the infamous "holding space" interview with stars Erivo and Ariana Grande.
Over in the TV categories, the acclaimed historical drama Shōgun topped the charts with four awards, while Netflix's Baby Reindeer and Max comedy Hacks got two wins each. Despite securing the most nominations, Hulu's The Bear only managed a single victory, for leading man Jeremy Allen White.
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It was Baby Reindeer creator and star Richard Gadd, accepting the award for Best Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television, who delivered one of the standout speeches of the night.
"I think right now, when the world’s in the state that it’s in, and people are really struggling, we need stories that speak to the complicated and difficult nature of our times," said the Scottish comedian.
He added: "So commissioners, streamers, when you’re totting up the numbers and putting together the budgets for this year, remember to keep some back for the little person to tell their story."
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All eyes in Hollywood will now turn to the rest of awards season and, of course, the Oscars on 2 March. If the Globes are any sort of indicator, it'll be a straight fight between The Brutalist and Emilia Pérez for the top prize — though Demi Moore could continue her march to glory as well. Too much to hope for The Substance as probably the goriest Best Picture winner ever? Probably.
The Golden Globes aired live on CBS and Paramount+ in the United States.
