Demi Moore left fans and her own family in tears with an impassioned speech about worth as she won her first ever acting award at the Golden Globes.
The 62-year-old actress finally won an acting prize after a career spanning four decades, and she was ‘in shock’ but ‘humbled and so grateful’ to beat the likes of Wicked star Cynthia Erivo and Challengers actress Zendaya for best actress in a motion picture musical or comedy for her role in horror The Substance.
‘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,’ she said on stage during Sunday’s ceremony.
‘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.’
Becoming emotional, Moore thanked French director Coralie Fargeat along with her team.
She continued: ‘I’ll just leave you with one thing that I think this movie is imparting, is in those moments when we don’t think we’re smart enough or pretty enough or skinny enough or successful enough, or basically just not enough.
‘I had a woman say to me, just know you will never be enough, but you can know the value of your worth if you just put down the measuring stick.
‘And so today, I celebrate this as a marker of my wholeness and of the love that is driving me and for the gift of doing something I love and being reminded that I do belong.’
Her family were overcome with emotion as they watched from home, with daughter Scout sharing a video of their reaction on her Instagram Story, writing: ‘I was weeping.’
She added: ‘I am so beyond proud, my entire body is buzzing. I am so overwhelmed with joy and pride and grattitude!! (sic)’
‘Demi Moore’s acceptance speech made me cry, i’m so happy for her. she really deserved this,’ wrote @carolsfilm as plenty of fans admitted they got emotional during her speech.
‘Demi Moore’s speech brought me to tears. A well deserved win for The Substance. #GoldenGlobes,’ added @Courtney_Guth, while @JayT-Film said: ‘Not going to lie, I did shed a couple of tears at Demi Moore’s speech. Long awaited award for a highly talented actress.’
Elsewhere during the night, Vin Diesel stepped out on stage to present the box office achievement award, and couldn’t resist poking fun at his rivalry with Fast & Furious co-star Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
In an awkward moment, he stepped up the microphone and simply said ‘Dwayne’ as he nodded to the WWE legend – who will be part of the live Raw debut on Netflix in Los Angeles – on the front row.
The Rock smiled as the camera focused on him, before everyone moved swiftly on.
Despite not winning in their respective categories, Erivo and Ariana Grande took to the stage alongside the cast of Wicked to collect the gong for cinematic and box office achievement.
They looked to be in wonderful spirits as they continued to bask in the success of the musical extravaganza.
As ever, they were the perfect double act, looking joyful as they laughed and posed together on the red carpet, while fans loved seeing them sat together at the ceremony and holding hands.
They even had time to be ‘holding space’, recreating the now-iconic meme from the Wicked press tour during host Nikki Glaser’s opening monologue as she jokingly asked Grande to hold her finger.
Emma Stone caught everyone’s eye before the ceremony even got started as she stepped out rocking a pixie cut.
She debuted the stunning new look on the red carpet, appearing in a strapless scarlet dress complete with a satin bow.
Meanwhile, Zendaya turned heads in a custom Louis Vuitton dress, while her bob was styled with a touch of old school Hollywood glamour.
Andrew Garfield had everyone swooning as he rocked a pair of glasses at the awards, along with a dark green suit and loose fitting dress shirt.
‘Andrew Garfield what in the world of thirst traps is this?’ joked a fan on X later in the evening, while another admirer quipped: ‘Okay Andrew Garfield can lossen (sic) up his button up [shirt] a little more I’m going feral.’
Moore led first-time winners including Sebastian Stan, who picked up his first gong for best actor in a motion picture musical or comedy following his performance alongside Adam Pearson in A Different Man as an aspiring actor who undergoes a radical medical procedure to drastically transform his appearance.
‘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 star said.
Among the first-time winners was Brady Corbet who won best director of a motion picture for The Brutalist which sees Adrien Brody as a Hungarian architect attempting to build a life in the US after the Second World War.
‘My heart is with Aubrey Plaza, and Jeff’s family,’ Corbet said of filmmaker Jeff Baena, the husband of Plaza, following his tragic death.
Zoe Saldana also won her first Golden Globe Award for her role in Emilia Perez, beating her co-star Selena Gomez and first-time nominee Grande to the gong.
She secured the best performance by a female actor in a supporting role in any motion picture for the Jacques Audiard-directed film about a Mexican drug lord who changes gender.
‘My heart is full of gratitude,’ said Saldana, who plays a lawyer offered a way out of her corrupt firm by cartel leader Manitas (Karla Sofia Gascon) in the film. ‘This is the first time for me and I am just so blessed.’
Saldana said she is ‘in awe’ of her fellow nominees whom she described as ‘magic’, which included Felicity Jones for her role in The Brutalist, Isabella Rossellini for Conclave, Margaret Qualley for The Substance and Wicked star Grande.
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.’ I hope to offer a comforting hug to those who are worried … I urge them to keep they heads held high and hope for a better few days ahead.’
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’.
And Jodie Foster scored her fourth 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.
‘The greatest thing about being this age and being in this time is having a community – especially you Sofia (Vergara),’ she said of her fellow nominee.
2025 Golden Globe Awards full winners list:
- Best motion picture – drama: The Brutalist
- Best performance by an actress in a motion picture – drama: Fernanda Torres – I’m Still Here
- Best performance by an actor in a motion picture – drama: Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
- Best motion picture – musical or comedy: Emilia Perez
- Best performance by an actress in a motion picture – musical or comedy: Demi Moore – The Substance
- Best performance by an actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy: Sebastian Stan – A Different Man
- Best motion picture – animated: Flow
- Best motion picture – non-English language: Emilia Perez – France
- Best performance by an actress in a supporting role, motion picture: Zoe Saldana – Emilia Perez
- Best performance by an actor in a supporting role, motion picture: Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
- Best director – motion picture: Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
- Best screenplay – motion picture: Conclave
- Best original score – motion picture: Challengers
- Best original song – motion picture: Emilia Perez – Mi Camino
- Best television series – drama: Shogun
- Best performance by an actress in a television series – drama: Anna Sawai – Shogun
- Best performance by an actor in a television series – drama: Hiroyuki Sanada – Shogun
- Best television series – musical or comedy: Hacks
- Best performance by an actress in a television series – musical or comedy: Jean Smart – Hacks
- Best performance by an actor in a television series – musical or comedy: Jeremy Allen White – The Bear
- Best supporting actress, television: Jessica Gunning – Baby Reindeer
- Best supporting actor, television: Tadanobu Asano – Shogun
- Best television limited series, anthology series or motion picture made for television: Baby Reindeer
- Best performance by an actor in a limited series, anthology series, or a motion picture made for television: Colin Farrell – The Penguin
- Best performance by an actress in a limited series, anthology series, or a motion picture made for television: Jodie Foster – True Detective: Night Country
- Best performance in stand-up comedy or television: Ali Wong – Single Lady
- Cinematic and box office achievement: Wicked
