- ‘Emilia Perez’ and ‘The Brutalist’ lead nominees
- Globes launch Hollywood‘s awards season
- Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez among nominees
BEVERLY HILLS, California — Zoe Saldana and Kieran Culkin won some of the early acting honors on Sunday at the Golden Globes, Hollywood‘s kick off celebration to the awards season that leads up to the Oscars.
Saldana appeared overwhelmed when she was named best supporting film actress for playing a lawyer who helps a Mexican drug lord start a new life and transition to a woman in musical thriller “Emilia Perez.”
“My heart is full of gratitude to the Golden Globes for celebrating our film,” Saldana said on stage as she wept through her speech and thanked her co-stars and director.
The Spanish-language film went into the ceremony leading all nominees, just ahead of “The Brutalist,” a 3-1/2 hour post-World War II drama that includes an intermission.
Culkin was named best supporting film actor for “A Real Pain,” a dramedy about cousins who travel to Poland to learn about their family history. The actor thanked his wife for “putting up with what you call my mania.”
At the start of the show, first-time host Nikki Glaser welcomed the celebrity crowd to “Ozempic’s biggest night” and teased Timothee Chalamet, Harrison Ford, 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 widespread Hollywood support for the losing candidate in the recent U.S. presidential election.
On the red carpet entrance to the celebration, celebrities shined in black, gold and silver gowns with an occasional red or periwinkle in the mix.
“Wicked” star Ariana Grande arrived in a yellow vintage Givenchy gown with a beaded bodice that she said was a tribute to the yellow brick road leading to Oz in the movie musical.
READ: Ariana Grande, Angelina Jolie kick off new year at Golden Globes
“It’s so exciting to be here because I’m such a fan of every single person I bump into,” Grande said of the star-studded crowd in Beverly Hills.
Restaurant tale “The Bear” and mystery comedy “Only Murders in the Building” will compete for TV honors.
Winning a Globe can shine a spotlight on movies and performances in the run-up to the Academy Awards in March. So far, awards pundits say, there is no clear favorite for the coveted best picture prize at the Oscars.
Globe honorees are chosen by 334 entertainment journalists from 85 countries, compared with roughly 9,000 voters who select the Academy Awards. The Globes voting body has been expanded in recent years and organizers instituted reforms after being criticized for ethical lapses and a lack of diversity.
Timothee Chalamet is in contention for best film drama actor for playing musician Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown.” His competition includes Brody, who portrays a Holocaust survivor and architect chasing the American dream in “The Brutalist.”
Selena Gomez is a double nominee for her supporting role in “Emilia Perez,” the story of a Mexican drug lord who transitions to a woman, and for lead comedy actress as a podcaster on TV series “Only Murders in the Building.”
Other acting nominees include Angelina Jolie for her portrayal of opera star Maria Callas in “Maria,” Nicole Kidman as a corporate executive having an affair with an intern in “Babygirl,” Zendaya as a tennis coach in “Challengers” and Ariana Grande as a student of sorcery in “Wicked.”
Among the men, Daniel Craig is nominated for “Queer” and Denzel Washington for “Gladiator II.”
—Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Additional reporting by Jane Ross; Editing by Mary Milliken, Richard Chang and Himani Sarkar
