BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — The Iran hostage thriller “Argo” was a surprise best-drama winner at Sunday’s Golden Globes, beating out the Civil War epic “Lincoln,” which had emerged as an awards-season favorite.
“Argo” also claimed the directing prize for Ben Affleck, a prize that normally bodes well for an Academy Award win — except he missed out on an Oscar nomination this time.
“Les Miserables” was named best musical or comedy, while Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway claimed acting prizes.
Besides the three wins for “Les Miserables” and two for “Argo,” the show was a mixed bag, with awards spreads around a number of films. “Lincoln” came in leading with seven nominations but lost all but one, for Daniel Day-Lewis as best actor in the title role of “Lincoln.”
“Zero Dark Thirty” star Jessica Chastain won the Globe for dramatic actress as a CIA agent obsessively pursuing Osama bin Laden. Other acting prizes went to Jennifer Lawrence as best musical or comedy actress for the oddball romance “Silver Linings Playbook” and Christoph Waltz as supporting actor for the slave-revenge tale “Django Unchained.”
“Les Miserables,” the musical based on Victor Hugo’s classic novel, earned Jackman the Globe for musical or comedy actor as tragic hero Jean Valjean. Hathaway won supporting actress as a single mom forced into prostitution.
Former President Bill Clinton upstaged Hollywood’s elite with a surprise appearance to introduce Spielberg’s Civil War epic “Lincoln,” which was up for best drama. The film chronicles Abraham Lincoln’s final months as he tries to end the war and find common ground in a divided Congress to pass the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery.
Lincoln’s effort was “forged in a cauldron of both principle and compromise,” Clinton said. “This brilliant film shows us how he did it and gives us hope that we can do it again.”
Amy Poehler, co-host of the Globes with Tina Fey, gushed afterward, “Wow, what an exciting special guest! That was Hillary Clinton’s husband!”
Lawrence won as best actress in a musical or comedy for her role as a troubled widow in a shaky new relationship in “Silver Linings Playbook”.
“What does this say? I beat Meryl,” Lawrence joked as she looked at her award, referring to fellow nominee and multiple Globe winner Meryl Streep.
The Scottish tale “Brave” won for best animated film. It was the sixth win for Disney’s Pixar Animation unit in the seven years since the Globes added the category.
Lena Dunham claimed the comedy series Globe for “Girls.”
After that, Fey and Poehler showed up on stage with cocktail glasses, Fey joking that it was time to start drinking.
“Everyone’s getting a little loose now that we’re all losers,” Poehler said.
Among other TV winners, Julianne Moore won a best-actress Globe for her role as Sarah Palin in “Game Change,” which also was picked as best TV miniseries or movie and earned Ed Harris a supporting-actor prize. Best actor in a miniseries or movie went to Kevin Costner for “Hatfields & McCoys.” “Homeland” was named best TV drama series, and its stars Claire Danes and Damian Lewis received the dramatic acting awards. Maggie Smith won as supporting actress for “Downton Abbey.”
