Demi Moore gave an impassioned speech as she won her first acting award at the Golden Globes in a ceremony which also saw films The Brutalist and Emilia Perez triumph.
Moore, 62, said she was “at kind of a low point” before landing her role in The Substance during her acceptance speech as she scooped the best actress in a motion picture musical or comedy gong.
Moore, 62, whose character confronts the harsh reality of ageing in Hollywood in the film, said: “Thirty years ago, I had a producer tell me that I was a popcorn actress and 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.
“And as I was at kind of a low point, I had this magical, bold, courageous, out-of-the-box, absolutely bonkers script come across my desk called The Substance, and the universe told me that you’re not done.”
Immigration story The Brutalist was one of the big film winners of the night, taking home several major awards including gongs for actor Adrien Brody and director Brady Corbet.
Accepting the award on stage, he said: “The character’s journey is very reminiscent of my mother’s and my ancestral journey of fleeing the horrors of war and coming to this great country, and I owe so much to my mother and my grandparents for their sacrifice.
The Brutalist director Corbet, who took home the film directing gong, said: “I was told that no-one would come out and see it.”
“I was told the film wouldn’t work and … I don’t resent that, but I want to use this as an opportunity to lift up filmmakers, all of my not just fellow nominees, but all the extraordinary directors in this room.”
Operatic musical Emilia Perez – about a Mexican drug lord who changes gender – was the big film winner of the night with four gongs, among them best motion picture for a musical or comedy.
The Netflix title also won best original song for El Mal and the category for best non-English language film.
The annual ceremony, held in Beverly Hills, was dominated by first-time winners, including film gongs for A Different Man’s Sebastian Stan, I’m Still Here’s Fernanda Torres, and in the TV categories, Shogun stars Anna Sawai, Hiroyuki Sanada and Tadanobu Asano.
Torres’ Portuguese language film I’m Still Here, about a mother coping with the disappearance of her husband in 1970s authoritarian Brazil, was controversial in her home country for its depiction of that time.
Japanese historical drama Shogun was a stand-out winner in the TV categories, taking home best television series – drama – as part of its four-win sweep.
Netflix’s Baby Reindeer, about a comedian and barman who is stalked by an older woman after he offers her a cup of tea at the pub where he works, won best limited TV or anthology series or TV movie award.
The show’s creator, Scottish comedian Richard Gadd, pleaded with broadcasters and streamers to make stories that let the “little person tell their story” as he collected the gong.
His Yorkshire co-star Jessica Gunning secured her first win for the best female supporting actress in the television category.
Meanwhile, Succession star Kieran Culkin secured his second Golden Globe for his role in A Real Pain, beating the likes of Denzel Washington for Gladiator II and Guy Pearce for The Brutalist.
In a humorous speech, he joked the Golden Globes was the “best date night that my wife and I ever have” and that the award belonged to his “fantastic” director Jesse Eisenberg who wrote “an incredible script”.
The two star as mismatched cousins who tour Poland in honour of their grandmother.
Congratulations to Kieran Culkin because his role in A Real Pain just won him the award for Best Supporting Male Actor – Motion Picture! #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/F6sh5E8oGs
— Golden Globes (@goldenglobes) January 6, 2025
Jodie Foster scored a win for her role in True Detective: Night Country, beating Kate Winslet for The Regime and Cate Blanchett for Disclaimer in the best female actor in a limited series, anthology series or a motion picture made for television category.
Despite not winning in their respective categories, Erivo and Grande took to the stage alongside the cast of Wicked to collect the gong for cinematic and box office achievement.
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.”
The annual ceremony, considered a bellwether for the awards season, saw comedian and actress Nikki Glaser become the first woman to solo host the show as she opened with a monologue taking aim at Hollywood stars including Timothee Chalamet, who was sitting next to his girlfriend Kylie Jenner.
The ceremony also saw British star Sir Elton John present an award.
