Kieran Culkin and Zoe Saldaña among early winners at the Golden Globes

Us actors Kieran Culkin and Zoe Saldaña and TV series Baby Reindeer and Shōgun are among the early winners at the Golden Globe Awards, which are taking place in Los Angeles.

Culkin won best supporting actor for his performance in A Real Pain, about two cousins who travel across Poland in memory of their grandmother.

“The first ever acknowledgement I got as an actor was a Golden Globe nomination when I was basically a kid. Now, it’s like the best date night my wife and I ever have,” he joked.

Saldaña, who won best supporting actress for her role in Spanish-language musical Emilia Pérez, said: “My heart is full of gratitude.”

“I’m so blessed to be sharing this moment with my fellow nominees,” she continued.

“I know this is a competition but all I have witnessed is just us showing up for each other and celebrating each other and it’s just so beautiful.”

The film also won best non-English language film which saw director Jacques Audiard take to the stage with a French translator to accept the award.

“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.”

Elsewhere, British actress Jessica Gunning was named best TV supporting actress for her portrayal as a stalker in Baby Reindeer.

In her acceptance speech, Gunning shared an anecdote about getting a hamster for Christmas as a child, and thinking that she couldn’t believe it was happening to her. She said that phrase had become the “soundtrack of my life this year”.

“Thank you to Richard Gadd, Baby Reindeer has changed my life in ways that I can’t even explain. I can’t believe this is happening to me,” she repeated, “and I know that eight-year-old me wouldn’t either, she’d be chuffed to bits.”

Conclave, Anora and The Brutalist are among the other films in the running for the top prizes at the ceremony

Film acting nominees include Zendaya, for tennis drama Challengers, and Timothée Chalamet for his starring role in Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown.

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are both up for their roles as sorcery students in Wicked, the musical adaptation of the hit stage show, while Daniel Craig is nominated for 1950s romance Queer, Demi Moore is up for body horror The Substance, and Nicole Kidman for erotic drama Babygirl.

Kate Winslet has two nominations – for Lee, a film about war photojournalist Lee Miller, and for her leading TV role in political satire The Regime. Selena Gomez is also up for two – for the film Emilia Pérez, about a Mexican drug lord who changes gender, and TV mystery comedy Only Murders in the Building.

The event marks the first major ceremony of the film awards season, which culminates with the Oscars on 2 March.

A win at the Globes can help boost a film’s profile at a crucial time, when Bafta and Oscar voters are preparing to fill in their nomination ballots.

But the Globes is a much less formal event than the Academy Awards, with celebrities generally in a good mood after the Christmas break, ready to mingle over a few drinks and have fun with their acceptance speeches.

The main film contenders:

• 10 nominations – Emilia Pérez
• 7 – The Brutalist
• 6 – Conclave
• 5 – Anora, The Substance
• 4 – Challengers, A Real Pain, Wicked, The Wild Robot
• The Golden Globe nominees in full

Baby Reindeer, Shogun and The Bear are among the shows competing in the TV categories.

In recent years, the voting body behind the Globes has expanded and diversified its membership and brought in a new code of conduct.

The changes follow a scathing investigation by the LA Times in 2021 which exposed various ethical lapses, such as voters accepting “freebies” from studios and PR agencies lobbying for nominations.

The Golden Globes split their film categories by drama and comedy/musical, which allows them to nominate more movies and hand out more prizes than other ceremonies.

The film with the most nominations is Emilia Pérez, a largely Spanish-language musical about a dangerous cartel leader who wants to quit the world of crime and live a new life as a woman.

However, several of its 10 nominations are in the same categories – with two nods in best original song and two in best supporting actress.

Other contenders in the musical/comedy category include Anora, the story of a New York stripper who falls for the son of a wealthy Russian oligarch.

The Substance, which sees a woman trade her body for a younger, more beautiful version of herself is also nominated, along with A Real Pain, about two cousins travelling across Poland after the death of their grandmother.

US viewers can watch the show live on the CBS network, which is airing the Globes as part of a five-year deal.

It will also stream on Paramount+ with Showtime. The ceremony starts at 01:00 GMT and usually lasts between three and four hours.

UK viewers without a VPN can expect to see highlights on social media, YouTube and news bulletins on Monday morning.