Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas, winners of the Best Motion Picture - Drama for "Oppenheimer," pose in the press room during the 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards. Photo / Getty Images
Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster biopic Oppenheimer dominated the 81st Golden Globes, winning five awards including best drama, while Yorgos Lanthimos’ Frankenstein riff Poor Things pulled off an upset victory over Barbie to triumph in the best comedy or musical category.
If awards season has been building toward a second match-up of Barbenheimer, this round went to Oppenheimer.
The film also won best director for Nolan, best drama actor for Cillian Murphy, best supporting actor for Robert Downey Jr. and for Ludwig Göransson’s score.
”I don’t think it was a no-brainer by any stretch of the imagination to make a three-hour talky movie — R-rated by the way — about one of the darkest developments in our history,” said producer Emma Thomas accepting the night’s final award and thanking Universal chief Donna Langley.
Along with best comedy or musical, Poor Things also won for Emma Stone’s performance as Bella, a Victorian woman experiencing a surreal life and sexual awakening.
”I see this as a rom-com,” said Stone. “But in the sense that Bella falls in love with life itself, rather than a person. She accepts the good and the bad in equal measure, and that really made me look at life differently.”
Lily Gladstone won best actress in a dramatic film for Martin Scorsese’ Killers of the Flower Moon. Gladstone, who began her speech speaking the language of her native tribe, Blackfeet Nation, is the first Indigenous winner in the category.
“This is a historic win,” said Gladstone. “It doesn’t just belong to me.”
The Globes were in their 81st year but facing a new and uncertain chapter. After a tumultuous few years and heaps of scandals, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association was dissolved, leaving a new Globes, on a new network (CBS), to try to regain its perch as the third biggest award show of the year, after the Oscars and Grammys.
Even the menu (sushi from Nobu) was flipped.
“Golden Globes journalists, thank you for changing your game, therefore changing your name,” said Downey in his acceptance speech.
It got off to a rocky start. Host Jo Koy took the stage at the Beverly Hilton International Ballroom in Beverly Hills, California. The Filipino American stand-up hit on some expected topics: Ozempic, Meryl Streep’s knack for winning awards and the long-running Oppenheimer. (“I needed another hour.”)
After one joke flubbed, Koy, who was named host after some bigger names reportedly passed, also noted how fast he was thrust into the job. “Yo, I got the gig 10 days ago. You want a perfect monologue?” said Koy. “I wrote some of these and they’re the ones you’re laughing at.”
“If I don’t win, I’m leaving” - Jennifer Lawrence mouths to the camera during her category at the #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/XP0T1wOMit
— Courtney Howard (@Lulamaybelle) January 8, 2024
Downey’s win, his third Globe, denied one to Kenergy. Ryan Gosling had been seen as his stiffest competition, just one of the many head-to-head contests between Oppenheimer and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie.
The filmmakers faced each other in the best director category, where Nolan triumphed. It was two hours before Barbie, the year’s biggest hit with more than US$1.4 billion in ticket sales, won an award. Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” took best song, and swiftly after, Barbie took the Globes’ new honour for “cinematic and box office achievement.”
Some thought that award might go to Taylor Swift, whose Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour also set box-office records.
Margot Robbie, star and producer of Barbie, accepted the award in a pink gown modelled after 1977′s Superstar Barbie.
“We’d like to dedicate this to every single person on the planet who dressed up and went to the greatest place on Earth: the movie theatres,” said Robbie.
Elsewhere, the final season of Succession cleaned up on the television side. It won best drama series for the third time, a mark that ties a record set by Mad Men and The X-Files.
Three stars from the HBO series also won: Matt Macfadyen, Sarah Snook and Kieran Culkin.
“It is bittersweet, but things like this make it rather sweeter,” said Succession creator Jesse Armstrong. Hulu’s The Bear also came away with a trio of awards, including best comedy series.
Jeremy Allen White won for the second time, but this time he had company. Ayo Edebiri won her first Globe for her leading performance in the Hulu show’s second season.
Best Motion Picture, Drama
WINNER: Oppenheimer
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Past Lives
The Zone of Interest
Anatomy of a Fall
Best Picture, Musical or Comedy
Barbie
WINNER: Poor Things
American Fiction
The Holdovers
May December
Air
Best Director, Motion Picture
Bradley Cooper — Maestro
Greta Gerwig — Barbie
Yorgos Lanthimos — Poor Things
WINNER: Christopher Nolan — Oppenheimer
Martin Scorsese — Killers of the Flower Moon
Celine Song — Past Lives
Best Screenplay, Motion Picture
Barbie — Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach
Poor Things — Tony McNamara
Oppenheimer — Christopher Nolan
Killers of the Flower Moon — Eric Roth, Martin Scorsese
Past Lives — Celine Song
WINNER: Anatomy of a Fall — Justine Triet, Arthur Harari
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
Bradley Cooper — Maestro
WINNER: Cillian Murphy — Oppenheimer
Leonardo DiCaprio — Killers of the Flower Moon
Colman Domingo — Rustin
Andrew Scott — All of Us Strangers
Barry Keoghan — Saltburn
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama
WINNER: Lily Gladstone — Killers of the Flower Moon
Carey Mulligan – Maestro
Sandra Hüller – Anatomy of a Fall
Annette Bening — Nyad
Greta Lee — Past Lives
Cailee Spaeny — Priscilla
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Fantasia Barrino – The Color Purple
Jennifer Lawrence – No Hard Feelings
Natalie Portman – May December
Alma Pöysti – Fallen Leaves
Margot Robbie – Barbie
WINNER: Emma Stone – Poor Things
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Nicolas Cage — Dream Scenario
Timothée Chalamet — Wonka
Matt Damon — Air
WINNER: Paul Giamatti — The Holdovers
Joaquin Phoenix — Beau Is Afraid
Jeffrey Wright — American Fiction
Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
Willem Dafoe — Poor Things
Robert De Niro — Killers of the Flower Moon
WINNER: Robert Downey Jr. — Oppenheimer
Ryan Gosling — Barbie
Charles Melton — May December
Mark Ruffalo — Poor Things
👏 Congratulations to the Best Supporting Male Actor – Motion Picture winner Robert Downey Jr. for his role in Oppenheimer! #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/8qVYgcI1R5
— Golden Globe Awards (@goldenglobes) January 8, 2024
Best Supporting Actress, Motion Picture
Emily Blunt — Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks — The Color Purple
Jodie Foster — Nyad
Julianne Moore — May December
Rosamund Pike — Saltburn
WINNER: Da’Vine Joy Randolph — The Holdovers
Best Television Series, Drama
1923
The Crown
The Diplomat
The Last of Us
The Morning Show
WINNER: Succession
Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy
WINNER: The Bear
Ted Lasso
Abbott Elementary
Jury Duty
Only Murders in the Building
Barry
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Drama
Pedro Pascal — The Last of Us
WINNER: Kieran Culkin — Succession
Jeremy Strong — Succession
Brian Cox — Succession
Gary Oldman — Slow Horses
Dominic West — The Crown
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Drama
Helen Mirren — 1923
Bella Ramsey — The Last of Us
Keri Russell — The Diplomat
WINNER: Sarah Snook — Succession
Imelda Staunton — The Crown
Emma Stone — The Curse
Best Actress in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy
WINNER: Ayo Edebiri — The Bear
Natasha Lyonne — Poker Face
Quinta Brunson — Abbott Elementary
Rachel Brosnahan — The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Selena Gomez — Only Murders in the Building
Elle Fanning – The Great
Best Actor in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy
Bill Hader — Barry
Steve Martin — Only Murders in the Building
Martin Short — Only Murders in the Building
Jason Segel — Shrinking
Jason Sudeikis — Ted Lasso
WINNER: Jeremy Allen White — The Bear
Best Supporting Actor, Television
Billy Crudup — The Morning Show
WINNER: Matthew Macfadyen — Succession
James Marsden — Jury Duty
Ebon Moss-Bachrach — The Bear
Alan Ruck — Succession
Alexander Skarsgård — Succession
Best Supporting Actress, Television
WINNER: Elizabeth Debicki — The Crown
Abby Elliott — The Bear
Christina Ricci — Yellowjackets
J. Smith-Cameron — Succession
Meryl Streep — Only Murders in the Building
Hannah Waddingham — Ted Lasso
Best Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
WINNER: Beef
Lessons in Chemistry
Daisy Jones & the Six
All the Light We Cannot See
Fellow Travelers
Fargo
Best Performance by an Actor, Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Matt Bomer — Fellow Travelers
Sam Claflin — Daisy Jones & the Six
Jon Hamm — Fargo
Woody Harrelson — White House Plumbers
David Oyelowo — Lawmen: Bass Reeves
WINNER: Steven Yeun — Beef
Best Performance by an Actress, Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Riley Keough — Daisy Jones & the Six
Brie Larson — Lessons in Chemistry
Elizabeth Olsen — Love and Death
Juno Temple — Fargo
Rachel Weisz — Dead Ringers
WINNER: Ali Wong — Beef
Best Original Score, Motion Picture
WINNER: Ludwig Göransson — Oppenheimer
Jerskin Fendrix — Poor Things
Robbie Robertson — Killers of the Flower Moon
Mica Levi — The Zone of Interest
Daniel Pemberton — Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Joe Hisaishi — The Boy and the Heron
Best Picture, Non-English Language
WINNER: Anatomy of a Fall (France)
Fallen Leaves (Finland)
Io Capitano (Italy)
Past Lives (United States)
Society of the Snow (Spain)
The Zone of Interest (United Kingdom)
Best Original Song, Motion Picture
WINNER: Barbie — What Was I Made For? by Billie Eilish and Finneas
Barbie — Dance the Night by Caroline Ailin, Dua Lipa, Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt
She Came to Me — Addicted to Romance by Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa
The Super Mario Bros. Movie — Peaches by Jack Black, Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Eric Osmond, and John Spiker
Barbie — I’m Just Ken by Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt
Rustin — Road to Freedom by Lenny Kravitz
Best Motion Picture, Animated
WINNER: The Boy and the Heron
Elemental
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Suzume
Wish
Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy or Television
WINNER: Ricky Gervais — Ricky Gervais: Armageddon
Trevor Noah — Trevor Noah: Where Was I
Chris Rock — Chris Rock: Selective Outrage
Amy Schumer — Amy Schumer: Emergency Contact
Sarah Silverman — Sarah Silverman: Someone You Love
Wanda Sykes — Wanda Sykes: I’m an Entertainer
Cinematic and Box Office Achievement
WINNER: Barbie
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
John Wick: Chapter 4
Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One
Oppenheimer
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour
Da’Vine Joy Randolph has taken home the Globe for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for her role in The Holdovers, while Oppenheimer’s Robert Downey Jr. has landed Best Supporting Actor for his turn in Nolan’s film.
And Ali Wong has been awarded Best Performance by an Actress in a limited series, anthology series or a motion picture made for television for Netflix drama Beef, while her co-star Steven Yeun won Best Actor in the same category for his appearance in the drama.
Elizabeth Debicki is awarded Best Supporting Actress, Television for her role as Princess Diana in The Crown.
Matthew Macfadyen wins Best Supporting Actor, Television for his role in Succession, while Best Screenplay has gone to Justine Triet and Arthur Harari for Anatomy of a Fall.
Jeremy Allen White has taken out the award for Best Actor in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy for his role as Carmen Berzatto in The Bear. The comedy-drama series follows a talented young chef who returns to his roots in Chicago to take over his late brother’s sandwich shop.
One of the two new Golden Globe awards, Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy or Television, was awarded to Ricky Gervais for his performance in the controversial Netflix comedy special Ricky Gervais: Armageddon.
The next award for the Best Picture, Non-English Language has gone to Anatomy of a Fall. This is the second Golden Globe awarded to the film tonight.
Best Actress in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy has gone to Ayo Edebiri for her performance in The Bear. It is her first nomination for a Golden Globe and now her first win.
Kieran Culkin has just won the award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Drama for starring as Roman Roy in the series Succession.
Meanwhile, The Boy and the Heron took the award for Best Animated Film.
The nominees for the Best Director for a Motion Picture award have been announced. Christopher Nolan won the award for his box office hit Oppenheimer. The film has been nominated for eight Golden Globes overall.
Emma Stone wins Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy for her lead role in Poor Things. Cillian Murphy takes Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama for his lead role in Oppenheimer.
Ludwig Göransson wins the award for Best Original Score, Motion Picture for his work on Oppenheimer. This is the Swedish composer’s fourth Golden Globe nomination and his first win.
The award for Best Original Song has been handed to Billie Eilish and Finneas for the track What Was I Made For? which featured in Barbie.
Attention now turns to the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement award, the second of the two new Golden Globes being presented tonight. Barbie takes the award, with Margot Robbie accepting it while receiving a standing ovation from the audience.
The Golden Globe for Best Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television has been awarded to Beef, marking the third award for the show so far.
Coming up next is the award for Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy. The Bear takes out this award with many of the crew joining on stage to accept the award.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Drama is awarded to Sarah Snook for her role of Siobhan “Shiv” Roy in Succession. This is the Australian actress’ second Golden Globe nomination and second win.
Succession has won Best Television Series, Drama. The hit series is shaping up to be one of the favourite television shows of the night with four awards won so far.
Paul Giamatti wins the award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy for his role in The Holdovers.
For Best Picture, Musical or Comedy, Poor Things pulls through to take the award.
And now a big win for Lily Gladstone. Gladstone’s first Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama has successfully led to her first Golden Globe Award for her performance in Killers of the Flower Moon.
The final award of the night, Best Motion Picture, Drama, is presented by Oprah Winfrey. Oppenheimer takes the win for this award, bringing the film’s total award count to five.
Dolly Parton will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her charity work.