The 2026 Golden Globe Awards stunned viewers worldwide as unexpected contenders claimed victory across multiple categories. Despite industry predictions, “One Battle After Another” surprisingly secured Best Picture – Comedy, while “Hamnet” triumphed in the drama category. Additionally, Wagner Moura made history as the first Brazilian to win Best Actor in a Drama for his compelling performance in “The Secret Agent.” Furthermore, the animated feature “KPop Demon Hunters” dominated not only its category but also claimed Best Original Song, showcasing the growing global influence of Korean pop culture. Meanwhile, limited series “Adolescence” swept its categories with powerful performances from Stephen Graham, Owen Cooper, and Erin Doherty.
One Battle After Another Wins Best Picture – Comedy
Paul Thomas Anderson’s politically charged comedy “One Battle After Another” emerged as the dominant film at the 2026 Golden Globe Awards, securing four major awards throughout the ceremony. The sprawling tale about a washed-up revolutionary claimed the coveted Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, triumphing over notable competitors including “Blue Moon,” “Bugonia,” “Marty Supreme,” “No Other Choice,” and “Nouvelle Vague”.
Producer Sara Murphy accepted the award alongside Anderson and cast members, describing it as “an incredible honor” and calling the production “one of the most incredible filmmaking experiences” and “once in a lifetime”. The film’s success cements its front-runner status heading into the Oscars after previously taking the Critics Choice Award earlier this month.
Paul Thomas Anderson Wins Best Director and Screenplay
Anderson experienced a career-defining night at the ceremony, securing his first-ever Golden Globe wins. The acclaimed filmmaker took home both directing and screenplay honors, completing a personal hat trick when the film later won Best Picture.
During his acceptance speech for Best Director, Anderson expressed gratitude toward Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group co-chair and CEO Michael De Luca, stating: “He single-handedly has supported me and the movies that I wanted to make”. Subsequently, Anderson dedicated the award to his late assistant director Adam Somner, who passed away in November 2024 and to whom the film is dedicated.
For his screenplay win, Anderson offered insight into his writing process, describing writers as “magpies” who “steal all the bits and pieces that everybody says as best we can”. Notably, he credited cast member Shayna McHayle (known by her stage name Junglepussy) for contributing a memorable line for her character: “This pussy don’t pop for you”. Anderson additionally acknowledged Thomas Pynchon, whose novel “Vineland” inspired the film.
Teyana Taylor and Leonardo DiCaprio Among Cast highlights
Teyana Taylor secured the first award of the night, winning Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Perfidia Beverly Hills. In an emotional acceptance speech, Taylor dedicated her award “to my brown sisters and little brown girls watching tonight,” adding: “We belong in every room we walk into. Our voices matter and our dreams deserve space”.
The film features Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role as Bob Ferguson, formerly known as bomb maker Ghetto Pat, who has been raising his teenage daughter Willa (Chase Infiniti) in what critics describe as “a haze of stoned paranoia” following his revolutionary past. His character’s life spirals when Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn) returns, entangling him with white supremacists known as the Christmas Adventurers.
DiCaprio’s performance particularly stands out, with reviewers noting he “plays an ordinary guy thrown into tough situations with incredible sincerity and conviction”. Ultimately, the film’s awards success reflects its critical acclaim as what Anderson described simply as “fun”.
Hamnet Wins Best Picture – Drama
Focus Features’ period drama “Hamnet” stunned attendees by claiming the prestigious Best Motion Picture – Drama award. The historical fiction centered around William Shakespeare’s family life triumphed over formidable competitors including “Frankenstein,” “It Was Just an Accident,” “The Secret Agent,” “Sentimental Value” and “Sinners”.
Producer Steven Spielberg took the microphone first to accept the honor, thanking Golden Globe voters before explaining why director Chloé Zhao was the perfect choice for the project. “Sam Mendes sent me the book by Maggie O’Farrell, Hamnet, and I love the book, but I felt there was really only one filmmaker on the face of the planet who could tell the story of Agnes and Will and the spirits of the earth and the forest, and that was the exceptional, exceptional, exceptional Chloé Zhao”.
Jessie Buckley Wins Best Actress in a Drama
Irish star Jessie Buckley claimed the Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama for her haunting portrayal of Agnes Shakespeare. This victory continues Buckley’s awards momentum after winning the Critics Choice award last weekend. In the competitive category, she prevailed over Jennifer Lawrence (“Die My Love”), Renate Reinsve (“Sentimental Value”), Julia Roberts (“After the Hunt”), Tessa Thompson (“Hedda”) and Eva Victor (“Sorry, Baby”).
Beginning her acceptance speech, Buckley acknowledged the surreal nature of the moment: “This is not a normal feeling or situation to be in, but thank you, Golden Globes, thank you Focus and everybody who supported this film”. She noted the diversity of the production team – “Irish lead actors, a Chinese director, and mostly Polish crew” – before expressing admiration for her fellow nominees, calling Julia Roberts “a hero to us all”.
Buckley’s performance has been widely praised as her career best, especially for two powerful birthing scenes and one where she loses her child. As described by critics, “Her screams emanate from the base of her chest, each one a remarkable release”.
Chloé Zhao and Spielberg Reflect on Film’s Emotional Depth
Director Chloé Zhao, herself nominated in both director and screenplay categories, spoke movingly after the Best Picture win. She shared an anecdote from star Paul Mescal: “He said that making Hamnet made him realize that the most important thing of being an artist is learning to be vulnerable enough to allow ourselves to be seen for who we are, not who we ought to be”.
Zhao continued with an observation about her peers: “I’m looking at you and I see so many of you have become so strong and tender at the same time. You have shared so much of yourself in your work”.
The film adapts Maggie O’Farrell’s novel about William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) and his wife Agnes Hathaway (Buckley) as they endure the devastating loss of their teenage son Hamnet to the plague. This tragedy ultimately inspires Shakespeare’s writing of “Hamlet”.
Spielberg, in separate comments, expressed profound admiration for Zhao’s directorial approach: “Every decision Chloé makes as a filmmaker comes from her feelings and not her thoughts. Like Agnes in Hamnet, I have always had a feeling that Chloé is a creation of the earth itself”.
Zhao initially hesitated to direct the project when approached by Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment in 2022, concerned about portraying the grief of losing a child without being a mother herself. However, she eventually connected with the material through her own experiences of loss: “For four years, since Nomadland and Eternals, I experienced one after another personal loss that accumulated to a tidal wave”.
The film, which debuted at the Telluride Film Festival in August, earned six nominations at the Golden Globes, including best motion picture drama, best supporting actor (Mescal), best director (Zhao), best screenplay (Zhao and O’Farrell) and best original score (Max Richter).
