The Brutalist scoops major Golden Globes in show dominated by first-time winners

Immigration story The Brutalist has scooped several major awards at the Golden Globes, including gongs for actor Adrien Brody and director Brady Corbet as well as best motion picture drama as musical Emilia Perez triumphed in other categories with four gongs.

The annual ceremony was dominated by first-time winners, including gongs for The Substance star Demi Moore, A Different Man’s Sebastian Stan, Zoe Saldana of Emilia Perez, I’m Still Here’s Fernanda Torres, and Shogun stars Anna Sawai, Hiroyuki Sanada and Tadanobu Asano.

“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, and although I do not know fully how to express all of the challenges that you have faced and experienced and the many people who have struggled immigrating to this country, I hope this work stands to lift you up and to give you a voice. I will cherish this moment forever,” an emotional Brody said on stage.

Meanwhile, filmmaker Corbet said he was told the film was “undistributable” as he picked up the gong for best motion picture drama – after receiving the award for best director in the same category.

“I was told that no one would come out and see it,” he said.

“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.

It came after Corbet paid tribute to filmmaker Jeff Baena, the husband of US actress Aubrey Plaza, who a Los Angeles medical examiner said took his own life, saying on stage “my heart is with Aubrey Plaza, and Jeff’s family”.

Operatic musical Emilia Perez – a film about a Mexican drug lord who changes gender – also scored a number of gongs during the ceremony, including best motion picture for a musical or comedy.

Meanwhile, Saldana fended off competition from her co-star Selena Gomez and Wicked actress Ariana Grande to her first Golden Globe for her supporting role in Jacques Audiard-directed Emilia Perez.

Emilia Perez also won best original song for El Mal, and the category for best non-English language film.

Brazilian actress Torres dedicated her first Golden Globe to her mother, who was nominated for the same award as her daughter, best actress – drama in 1999 for Central Station.

Saldana, who plays a lawyer offered a way out of her corrupt firm by cartel leader Manitas (Karla Sofia Gascon) in Emilia Perez, said “my heart is full of gratitude”.

The film also won best motion picture non-English language which saw director Audiard take to the stage with a French translator saying “if there were more sisters in the world maybe the world would be a better place”.

“In these troubled times I hope Emilia Perez will be a beacon of light,” he said.

Moore also gave an impassioned speech about worth as she won her first acting award at the Golden Globes after a career spanning four decades.

“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,” Moore, 62, said on stage.

“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.”

Moore led first-time winners including Stan, who picked up his first gong for best actor in a motion picture musical or comedy following his performance in A Different Man.

“Our ignorance and discomfort around disability and disfigurement has to end now. We have to normalise it and continue to expose ourselves to it and our children encourage acceptance,” the 42-year-old said.

Stan dedicated the award to his mother who “left Romania in search of a better life, gave me everything, and for my stepfather, who took on a single mum and a grown-up kid – thank you for being a real man”.

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.

And Jodie Foster scored another Golden Globe 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.