‘The Brutalist,’ ‘Emilia Perez’ triumph at Golden Globes

Two wildly audacious films — Brady Corbet’s 215-minute postwar epic “The Brutalist” and Jacques Audiard’s Spanish language, genre-shifting trans musical “Emilia Perez” — won top honors at the 82nd Golden Globes on Sunday.

The Globes, which are still finding their footing after years of scandal and makeover, scattered awards around to a number of films. But the awards group put its strongest support behind a pair of movies that sought to defy easy categorization.

“The Brutalist” was crowned best film, drama, putting one of 2024’s most ambitious films on course to be a major contender at the Academy Awards. The film, shot in VistaVision and released with an intermission, also won best director for Corbet and best actor for Adrien Brody. In his acceptance speech, Corbet spoke about filmmakers needing approval on the final cut.

“I was told that this film was un-distributable,” said Corbet. “No one was asking for a three-and-half-hour film about a mid-century designer in 70mm. But it works.”

“Emilia Pérez” won best film, comedy or musical, elevating the Oscar chances of Netflix’s top contender. It also won best supporting actress for Zoe Saldaña, best song (“El Mal”) and best non-English language film. Audiard, the French director, made way for Karla Sofía Gascón, the film’s transgender star who plays a Mexican drug lord who undergoes gender affirming surgery, to speak on behalf of the film.

“The light always wins over darkness,” said Gascón, gesturing to her brightly orange dress. “You can maybe put us in jail. You can beat us up. But you never can take away our soul or existence or identity.”

“I am who I am. Not who you want.”

Demi wins her first Globe

Though the Globes audience was particularly starry, including nominees Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet, Angelina Jolie and Daniel Craig, most of the winners hailed from smaller, less seen films.

That included some surprises. One was Demi Moore’s win for best actress in a comedy or musical. Her comeback performance in “The Substance,” about a Hollywood star who resorts to an experimental process to regain her youth, landed the 62-year-old Moore her first Globe — a victory that came over the heavily favored Mikey Madison of “Anora.”

“I’m just in shock right now. I’ve been doing this a long time, like over 45 years, and this is the first thing I’ve ever won as an actor,” said Moore, who was last nominated by the Globes for a film role in 1991 for “Ghost.” “Thirty years ago, I had a producer tell me that I was a popcorn actress.”

Best actress, in a drama film, was an even bigger surprise. The Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres won for her performance in “I’m Still Here,” a based-on-a-true-story drama about a family living through the disappearance of political dissident Rubens Paiva in 1970s Rio de Janeiro. Torres dedicated the award to her mother, the great actor Fernanda Montenegro, who appears in “I’m Still Here,” too.

“She was here 25 years ago,” said Torres. “And this is like a proof that art can endure through life even through difficult moments.”

Best supporting actor in a musical or comedy went to Sebastian Stan for “A Different Man,” in which Stan plays a man with a deformed face who’s healed. Stan, who was also nominated for playing Donald Trump in “The Apprentice,” noted that both films were hard to get made.

“These are tough subject maters but these films are real and they’re necessary,” said Stan. “But we can’t be afraid and look away.”

Glaser lightly roasts the Globes

Comedian Nikki Glaser kicked off the Globes, with a promise: “I’m not here to roast you.”

But Glaser, a stand-up whose breakthrough came in a withering roast of Tom Brady, made her way around the ballroom of the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, on Sunday picking out plenty of targets in an opening monologue she had worked out extensively in comedy clubs beforehand.

While Glaser might not have reached Tina Fey and Amy Poehler levels of laughs, the monologue was a winner, and a dramatic improvement over last year’s host, Jo Koy. Last year’s Globes, following a diversity and ethics scandal that led to the dissolution of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, were widely panned. But they delivered where it counted: Ratings rebounded to about 10 million viewers, according to Nielsen. CBS, who waded in after NBC dumped the Globes, signed up for five more years.

Hosting the Globes two weeks before the inauguration of Donald Trump, Glaser reserved perhaps her most cutting line for the entire room of Hollywood stars.

“You could really do anything … except tell the country who to vote for,” said Glaser. “But it’s OK, you’ll get ’em next time … if there is one. I’m scared.”

The Globes are now owned by Todd Boehly’s Eldridge Industries and Dick Clark Productions, which acquired the award show from the now defunct Hollywood Foreign Press Association. However, more than a dozen former HFPA members are currently seeking to have the sale to Eldridge Industries and Dick Clark Productions rescinded.

A win for ‘Wicked’

Unlike last year’s Oscar race, when “Oppenheimer” rolled, this year’s season has more uncertain, with a field of contenders. Most of the movies that are seen as having a chance — “Conclave,” “Emilia Perez,” “The Brutalist,” “Wicked” and “Anora” — came away with at least one award Sunday. The exception was Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or-winning “Anora,” which went home empty handed despite five nominations.

The Globes’ award for cinematic and box-office achievement went to Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked,” which has nearly collected $700 million in theaters. In a heavily arthouse Oscar field, “Wicked” is easily the biggest hit in the best picture mix. Accepting the award, Chu argued for “a radical act of optimism” in art.

Though few awards have been predictable this season, Kieran Culkin is emerging has the clear favorite for best supporting actor. Culkin won Sunday for his performance in Jesse Eisenberg’s “A Real Pain,” his second Globe in the past year following a win for the HBO series “Succession.” He called the Globes “basically the best date night that my wife and I ever have,” and then thanked her for “putting up what you call my mania.”

The papal thriller “Conclave” took best screenplay, for Peter Straughan’s script. “Flow,” the wordless Latvian animated parable about a cat in a flooded world, took best animated film, winning over studio blockbusters like “Inside Out 2” and “The Wild Robot.” Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross won best score for their thumping music for “Challengers.”

TV prizes

Most of the TV winners were oft-awarded series, including the Emmy champ “Shōgun.” It won four awards, including best drama series and acting wins for Hiroyuki Sanada, Anna Sawai and Tadanobu Asano. Other repeat winners were: “Hacks” (best comedy series, actress for Jean Smart), “The Bear” (Jeremy Allen White for best actor) and “Baby Reindeer” (best limited series).

Ali Wong won for best stand-up performance, Jodie Foster for “True Detective” and Colin Farrell for his physical transformation in “The Penguin.”

“I guess it’s prosthetics from here on out,” Farrell said.

The winners

Here is the list of all the 2025 Golden Globe winners.

• Motion picture – musical or comedy

“Anora”

“Challengers”

“Emilia Pérez” | WINNER

“A Real Pain”

“The Substance”

“Wicked”

• Motion picture – drama

“The Brutalist” | WINNER

“A Complete Unknown”

“Conclave”

“Dune: Part Two”

“Nickel Boys”

“September 5”

• Performance by a male actor in a motion picture – drama

Adrien Brody, “The Brutalist” | WINNER

Timothée Chalamet, “A Complete Unknown”

Daniel Craig, “Queer”

Colman Domingo, “Sing Sing”

Ralph Fiennes, “Conclave”

Sebastian Stan, “The Apprentice”

• Performance by a female actor in a motion picture – drama

Pamela Anderson, “The Last Showgirl”

Angelina Jolie, “Maria”

Nicole Kidman, “Babygirl”

Tilda Swinton, “The Room Next Door”

Fernanda Torres, “I’m Still Here” | WINNER

Kate Winslet, “Lee”

• Television series – drama

“The Day of the Jackal”

“The Diplomat”

“Mr. & Mrs. Smith”

“Shōgun” | WINNER

“Slow Horses”

“Squid Game”

• Performance by a female actor in a television series – drama

Kathy Bates, “Matlock”

Emma D’Arcy, “House of the Dragon”

Maya Erskine, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”

Keira Knightley, “Black Doves”

Keri Russell, “The Diplomat”

Anna Sawai, “Shōgun” | WINNER

• Television series – musical or comedy

“Abbott Elementary”

“The Bear”

“The Gentlemen”

“Hacks” | WINNER

“Nobody Wants This”

“Only Murders in the Building”

• Television limited series, anthology series or motion picture made for television

“Baby Reindeer” | WINNER

“Disclaimer”

“Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”

“The Penguin”

“Ripley”

“True Detective: Night Country”

• Cinematic and box office achievement

“Alien: Romulus”

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”

“Deadpool & Wolverine”

“Gladiator II”

“Inside Out 2”

“Twisters”

“Wicked” | WINNER

“The Wild Robot”

• Original song

“Beautiful That Way” (“The Last Showgirl”)

Music and lyrics by Andrew Wyatt, Miley Cyrus, Lykke Zachrisson

“Compress / Repress” (“Challengers”)

Music and lyrics by Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Luca Guadagnino

“El Mal” (“Emilia Pérez”) | WINNER

Music and lyrics by Clément Ducol, Camille, Jacques Audiard

“Forbidden Road” (“Better Man”)

Music and lyrics by Robbie Williams, Freddy Wexler, Sacha Skarbek

“Kiss the Sky” (“The Wild Robot”)

Music and lyrics by Delacey, Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Maren Morris, Michael Pollack, Ali Tamposi

“Mi Camino” (“Emilia Pérez”)

Music and lyrics by Clément Ducol, Camille

• Original score

Volker Bertelmann, “Conclave”

Daniel Blumberg, “The Brutalist”

Kris Bowers, “The Wild Robot”

Clément Ducol and Camille, “Emilia Pérez”

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, “Challengers” | WINNER

Hans Zimmer, “Dune: Part Two”

• Director

Jacques Audiard, “Emilia Pérez”

Sean Baker, “Anora”

Edward Berger, “Conclave”

Brady Corbet, “The Brutalist” | WINNER

Coralie Fargeat, “The Substance”

Payal Kapadia, “All We Imagine as Light”

• Motion picture – animated

“Flow” | WINNER

“Inside Out 2”

“Memoir of a Snail”

“Moana 2”

“Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl”

“The Wild Robot”

• Performance by a male actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy

Jesse Eisenberg, “A Real Pain”

Hugh Grant, “Heretic”

Gabriel LaBelle, “Saturday Night”

Jesse Plemons, “Kinds of Kindness”

Glen Powell, “Hit Man”

Sebastian Stan, “A Different Man” | WINNER

• Performance by a female actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy

Amy Adams, “Nightbitch”

Cynthia Erivo, “Wicked”

Karla Sofía Gascón, “Emilia Pérez”

Mikey Madison, “Anora”

Demi Moore, “The Substance” | WINNER

Zendaya, “Challengers”

• Performance by a female actor in a limited series, anthology series or motion picture made for television

Cate Blanchett, “Disclaimer”

Jodie Foster, “True Detective: Night Country” | WINNER

Cristin Milioti, “The Penguin”

Sofía Vergara, “Griselda”

Naomi Watts, “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans”

Kate Winslet, “The Regime”

• Performance by a male actor in a limited series, anthology series or motion picture made for television

Colin Farrell, “The Penguin” | WINNER

Richard Gadd, “Baby Reindeer”

Kevin Kline, “Disclaimer”

Cooper Koch, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”

Ewan McGregor, “A Gentleman in Moscow”

Andrew Scott, “Ripley”

• Motion picture – non-English-language

“All We Imagine as Light”

“Emilia Pérez” | WINNER

“The Girl With the Needle”

“I’m Still Here”

“The Seed of the Sacred Fig”

“Vermiglio”

• Performance in stand-up comedy on television

Jamie Foxx, “Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was”

Nikki Glaser, “Nikki Glaser: Someday You’ll Die”

Seth Meyers, “Seth Meyers: Dad Man Walking”

Adam Sandler, “Adam Sandler: Love You”

Ali Wong, “Ali Wong: Single Lady” | WINNER

Ramy Youssef, “Ramy Youssef: More Feelings”

• Screenplay

Jacques Audiard, “Emilia Pérez”

Sean Baker, “Anora”

Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold, “The Brutalist”

Jesse Eisenberg, “A Real Pain”

Coralie Fargeat, “The Substance”

Peter Straughan, “Conclave” | WINNER

• Performance by a male actor in a television series – musical or comedy

Adam Brody, “Nobody Wants This”

Ted Danson, “A Man on the Inside”

Steve Martin, “Only Murders in the Building”

Jason Segel, “Shrinking”

Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building”

Jeremy Allen White, “The Bear” | WINNER

• Performance by a male actor in a supporting role on television

Tadanobu Asano, “Shōgun” | WINNER

Javier Bardem, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”

Harrison Ford, “Shrinking”

Jack Lowden, “Slow Horses”

Diego Luna, “La Máquina”

Ebon Moss-Bachrach, “The Bear”

• Performance by a female actor in a supporting role on television

Liza Colón-Zayas, “The Bear”

Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks”

Dakota Fanning, “Ripley”

Jessica Gunning, “Baby Reindeer” | WINNER

Allison Janney, “The Diplomat”

Kali Reis, “True Detective: Night Country”

• Performance by a male actor in a television series – drama

Donald Glover, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith

Jake Gyllenhaal, “Presumed Innocent”

Gary Oldman, “Slow Horses”

Eddie Redmayne, “The Day of the Jackal”

Hiroyuki Sanada, “Shōgun” | WINNER

Billy Bob Thornton, “Landman”

• Performance by a male actor in a supporting role in any motion picture

Yura Borisov, “Anora”

Kieran Culkin, “A Real Pain” | WINNER

Edward Norton, “A Complete Unknown”

Guy Pearce, “The Brutalist”

Jeremy Strong, “The Apprentice”

Denzel Washington, “Gladiator II”

• Performance by a female actor in a television series – musical or comedy

Kristen Bell, “Nobody Wants This”

Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary”

Ayo Edebiri, “The Bear”

Selena Gomez, “Only Murders in the Building”

Kathryn Hahn, “Agatha All Along”

Jean Smart, “Hacks” | WINNER

• Performance by a female actor in a supporting role in any motion picture

Selena Gomez, “Emilia Pérez”

Ariana Grande, “Wicked”

Felicity Jones, “The Brutalist”

Margaret Qualley, “The Substance”

Isabella Rossellini, “Conclave”

Zoe Saldaña, “Emilia Pérez” | WINNER