By Lisa Richwine, Danielle Broadway and Dawn Chmielewski
BEVERLY HILLS, California (Reuters) – “The Brutalist,” the story of a Holocaust survivor chasing the American dream, and the musical thriller “Emilia Perez” took home the first big film prizes of the Hollywood awards season at the Golden Globes on Sunday.
“The Brutalist” won best dramatic film and its star Adrien Brody won best film actor. “Emilia Pérez” won the award for best musical or comedy film.
At the red carpet ceremony in Beverly Hills, Demi Moore won best actress in a motion picture musical or comedy for her lead role in “The Substance,” the story of a fading actress searching for a fountain of youth.
“I’m in shock right now,” Moore, known for films such as “St. Elmo’s Fire” and “Ghost,” said as she held her trophy on stage. “I’ve been doing this for a long time, over 45 years. This is the first time I’ve won anything as an actor.”
Stan was named best actor in a motion picture musical or comedy for “A Different Man,” a film about a man with facial disfigurement.
“Our ignorance and discomfort around disability and disfigurement has to end now,” Stan said. “We have to normalize it and continue exposing ourselves to it and our children.”
Zoe Saldana seemed overwhelmed when she was named best supporting actress for playing a lawyer who helps a Mexican drug dealer start a new life and transition into a woman in the musical thriller “Emilia Pérez.”
“My heart is full of gratitude to the Golden Globes for celebrating our film,” Saldana said onstage as she cried during her speech and thanked her castmates and the director.
Kieran Culkin was named best supporting actor for “A Real Pain,” a comedy-drama about cousins who travel to Poland to explore their family roots.
At the start of the show, rookie host Nikki Glaser welcomed the celebrity crowd to “Ozempic’s biggest night” and mocked Timothee Chalamet, Harrison Ford (NYSE:), Selena Gomez and other power players in the audience .
“You could do anything except tell the country who to vote for,” Glaser said, referring to Hollywood’s widespread support for the losing candidate in the recent US presidential election.
On the pre-show red carpet, celebrities dazzled in black, gold and silver dresses, with the occasional pop of red or periwinkle thrown into the mix. “Wicked” star Ariana Grande wore a yellow Givenchy dress with a beaded bodice that she said was a tribute to the yellow brick road that leads to Oz in the musical film.
“It’s very exciting to be here because I’m a huge fan of every person I come across,” Grande said.
The Globes honorees were chosen by 334 entertainment journalists from 85 countries, compared to about 9,000 voters who select the Academy Awards. The Globes voting body has expanded in recent years and organizers instituted reforms after coming under fire for ethical lapses and a lack of diversity.
Winning a Globe can highlight films and performances in the run-up to the Academy Awards in March.