& the GOLDEN GLOBES go to..

Golden Globes: ‘Oppenheimer’ Leads With Five Wins, ‘Succession’ Tops TV With Four

By Brent Lang, Jordan Moreau via Variety

“Oppenheimer” reigned at the 81st Golden Globe Awards on Sunday just as it once loomed large at the summer box office. The sprawling examination of J. Robert Oppenheimer and the creation of the atomic bomb racked up five wins, the most of any movie, including the prize for best motion picture drama. “Poor Things,” a feminist reimagining of the Frankenstein tale, was named best motion picture, musical or comedy, one of two victories for the post-modern film.

On the television front, “Succession,” a scabrous look at a Murdoch-esque mogul and his dysfunctional family, won a leading four prizes, including best drama series. The show ended its four-season run in May. “The Bear,” the story of a Chicago restaurant struggling to keep its doors open, earned three prizes, including best comedy series and best leading actor and actress in a musical or comedy for Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri.

“Beef,” a dramedy about the aftermath of a road rage incident, also won three statues — it was named best limited series, while picking up acting prizes for Ali Wong and Steven Yeun. Lee Sung Jin, the show’s creator, thanked the real-life driver who prompted him to make the series. “Sir, I hope you honk and yell and inspire others for years to come,” he said.

“Oppenheimer’s” Christopher Nolan, who leveraged his success making blockbusters like “The Dark Knight” and “Inception” to get Universal to produce a $100 million drama about a physicist, won best director. Cillian Murphy, who played the brooding scientist at the center of the film, was named best actor in a drama. The movie also was honored for its atmospheric score.

Lily Gladstone received the award for best female actor in a drama for playing an Osage woman who is targeted for her oil wealth in “Killers of the Flower Moon.” She noted that the recognition was a historic moment for the indigenous community, which has often been overlooked or marginalized by the entertainment industry. “This is for every little res kid, every little urban kid, every little native kid out there who has a dream and is seeing themselves represented,” Gladstone said.

Emma Stone was honored as best female actor in a comedy for playing a childlike woman who embarks on a journey of sexual and emotional discovery in “Poor Things.” Stone said the role of Bella Baxter made her “look at life differently” because of the way her character “accepts the good and the bad in equal measure.” Paul Giamatti, named best actor in a comedy for his portrayal of a caustic prep school instructor in “The Holdovers,” dedicated his award to teachers. “We’ve got to respect them,” he said. “They do a good thing. It’s a tough job.”

“Succession’s” Kieran Culkin and Sarah Snook won best male actor and best female actor in a TV drama for their portrait of conniving “nepo babies” jockeying to take over their father’s media company, while Matthew Macfadyen earned a best supporting male actor prize playing the “human grease stain” who outmaneuvers them on the show.

The Globes, traditionally a clubby, chummy event, took place following one of the most chaotic and divisive years in Hollywood history as the writers and actors unions went on strike for months, fighting over restrictions on the use of A.I. and a streaming business model they claimed made it harder to earn a living. The Screen Actors Guild and the Writers Guild of America eventually reached deals in September and November, but production on many movies and shows was disrupted, leaving an economic toll.

Sunday’s ceremony was broadcast on CBS, a new home for the telecast, which had aired on NBC since 1996. It caps a tumultuous period in the awards show, which has been rocked by scandals in recent years and is trying to reinvent itself. For decades, the Globes were an essential stop in Hollywood’s awards show gauntlet, as well as one of the hottest parties in town. Booze flowed freely at the show, which was looser and less inhibited than the stuffier Oscars (more than one winner nearly missed their big moment because of ill-timed bathroom breaks).

But the party stopped in 2021 with a bombshell report in the Los Angeles Times that revealed that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a small collection of roughly 90 entertainment journalists that voted on the Globes, had no Black members. The Times also exposed ethical issues within the organization, which had a reputation for enjoying lavish studio-funded junkets and nominating films of questionable quality (the Cher bomb “Burlesque” was a major contender one year). But the Globes have reemerged, dissolving the non-profit HFPA, instituting new codes of conduct, and bolstering its voting body to more than 300 journalists. Ten percent of Globes voters are Black, according to the organization. The new for-profit awards show is owned by Dick Clark Productions, which shares a parent company, Penske Media, with Variety.

Among other changes, the Globes introduced two new categories: an award for best blockbuster, which went to “Barbie,” and one for stand-up comedy special, which was won by Ricky Gervais, a five-time Globes host. Like “Oppenheimer,” “Barbie” was an unlikely box office success in a business dominated by action and comic book movies, something its star and producer Margot Robbie mentioned while accepting the blockbuster prize. She thanked Warner Bros. and Mattel, the film’s backers, for “literally inventing numbers to justify green lighting this, and then standing by at every step of the way.”

Comedian Jo Koy hosted the show and peppered his opening monologue with jokes about Robert De Niro having a kid at 80, Barry Keoghan’s full-frontal nudity in “Saltburn” and the three-hour runtime of “Oppenheimer.” “My New Year’s resolution for 2024 is to finish ‘Oppenheimer’ in 2025,” Koy said. “Seriously! I’m almost there! I loved ‘Oppenheimer.’ Especially the first season.” Koy’s quips received a muted response from the celebrity-heavy crowd, a tepid reaction the host acknowledged. “I got the gig 10 days ago,” he said. “You want a perfect monologue? Shut up.”

The Globes have an erratic track record for predicting eventual Oscars success. Last year’s top prizes went to “The Fabelmans” and “The Banshees of Inisherin,” but it was “Everything Everywhere All at Once” that would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. But other past Globes winners like “Nomadland” and “Green Book” have prevailed at the Oscars. A perfectly calibrated speech can also help contenders build momentum. To that end, “Oppenheimer’s” Robert Downey Jr., characteristically droll while accepting his best supporting actor prize, and “The Holdovers’” Da’Vine Joy Randolph, heartfelt and moving as she received her best supporting actress statue, elevated their candidacies.

There were plenty of surprises among the evening’s prizewinners, including “Anatomy of a Fall’s” best screenplay victory over “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” as well as Elizabeth Debicki (“The Crown”) beating out Meryl Streep (“Only Murders in the Building”) for best supporting actress in a TV show.

See the complete Golden Globes winners list:

Best Motion Picture, Drama

“Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures) (WINNER)
“Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films/Paramount Pictures)
“Maestro” (Netflix)
“Past Lives” (A24)
“The Zone of Interest” (A24)
“Anatomy of a Fall” (Neon)

Best Picture, Musical or Comedy

“Barbie” (Warner Bros.)
“Poor Things” (Searchlight Pictures) (WINNER)
“American Fiction” (MGM)
“The Holdovers” (Focus Features)
“May December” (Netflix)
“Air” (Amazon MGM Studios)

Best Director, Motion Picture

Bradley Cooper — “Maestro”
Greta Gerwig — “Barbie”
Yorgos Lanthimos — “Poor Things”
Christopher Nolan — “Oppenheimer” (WINNER)
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
“Anatomy of a Fall” — Justine Triet, Arthur Harari (WINNER)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama 

Bradley Cooper — “Maestro”
Cillian Murphy — “Oppenheimer” (WINNER)
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 

Lily Gladstone — “Killers of the Flower Moon” (WINNER)
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”
Emma Stone – “Poor Things” (WINNER)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy

Nicolas Cage — “Dream Scenario”
Timothée Chalamet — “Wonka”
Matt Damon — “Air”
Paul Giamatti — “The Holdovers” (WINNER)
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”
Robert Downey Jr. — “Oppenheimer” (WINNER)
Ryan Gosling — “Barbie”
Charles Melton — “May December”
Mark Ruffalo — “Poor Things”

Best Supporting Actress, Motion Picture 

Emily Blunt — “Oppenheimer”
Danielle Brooks — “The Color Purple”
Jodie Foster — “Nyad”
Julianne Moore — “May December”
Rosamund Pike — “Saltburn”
Da’Vine Joy Randolph — “The Holdovers” (WINNER)

Best Television Series, Drama 

“1923” (Paramount+)
“The Crown” (Netflix)
“The Diplomat” (Netflix)
“The Last of Us” (HBO)
“The Morning Show” (Apple TV+)
“Succession” (HBO) (WINNER)

Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy 

“The Bear” (FX) (WINNER)
“Ted Lasso” (Apple TV+)
“Abbott Elementary” (ABC)
“Jury Duty” (Amazon Freevee)
“Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu)
“Barry” (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Drama 

Pedro Pascal — “The Last of Us”
Kieran Culkin — “Succession” (WINNER)
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”
Sarah Snook — “Succession” (WINNER)
Imelda Staunton — “The Crown”
Emma Stone — “The Curse”

Best Actress in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy 

Ayo Edebiri — “The Bear” (WINNER)
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”
Jeremy Allen White — “The Bear” (WINNER)

Best Supporting Actor, Television 

Billy Crudup — “The Morning Show”
Matthew Macfadyen — “Succession” (WINNER)
James Marsden — “Jury Duty”
Ebon Moss-Bachrach — “The Bear”
Alan Ruck — “Succession”
Alexander Skarsgård — “Succession”

Best Supporting Actress, Television 

Elizabeth Debicki — “The Crown” (WINNER)
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 

“Beef” (WINNER)
“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”
Steven Yeun — “Beef” (WINNER)

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”
Ali Wong — “Beef” (WINNER)

Best Original Score, Motion Picture 

Ludwig Göransson — “Oppenheimer” (WINNER)
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 

“Anatomy of a Fall” (Neon) — France (WINNER)
“Fallen Leaves” (Mubi) — Finland
“Io Capitano” (01 Distribution) — Italy
“Past Lives” (A24) — United States
“Society of the Snow” (Netflix) — Spain
“The Zone of Interest” (A24) — United Kingdom

Best Original Song, Motion Picture 

“Barbie” — “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish and Finneas (WINNER)
“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 

“The Boy and the Heron” (GKids) (WINNER)
“Elemental” (Disney)
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (Sony Pictures)
“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” (Universal Pictures)
“Suzume” (Toho Co.)
“Wish” (Disney)

Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy or Television

Ricky Gervais — “Ricky Gervais: Armageddon” (WINNER)
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

“Barbie” (Warner Bros.) (WINNER)
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” (Disney)
“John Wick: Chapter 4” (Lionsgate Films)
“Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One” (Paramount Pictures)
“Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures)
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (Sony Pictures)
“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” (Universal Pictures)
“Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” (AMC Theatres)