Gary Oldman has claimed that the Golden Globe awards, considered by some to be the second most important film ceremony after the Oscars, are "bent".

Oldman made the comments while picking up his award for best actor at the Empire awards on Monday, first on stage and later in an interview with the HeyUGuys blog. Accepting the prize for his taciturn portrayal of spy chief George Smiley in Tomas Alfredson's adaptation of the John Le Carré cold war espionage novel Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, he said he was pleased because it was voted for by fans and "isn't political".

"Specifically, I'm talking about the Globes," he said backstage when asked to expand on his comments. "Which I think is bent to be honest with you.

"There's always a bit of that involved, people talk about the 'sympathy win' or someone will get something for their body of work rather than that role," added Oldman. "The Oscars and Baftas, the voting and all of that is pretty straightforward. But the Globes, the foreign press, is a whole different thing."

The Golden Globes are organised by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which has 93 members. The awards are traditionally seen as indicators of Oscars success, but critics suggest voters often plump for films that feature famous names rather than the year's best performances. Last year, the Johnny Depp/Angelina Jolie romance The Tourist was nominated for best musical or comedy, despite lukewarm reviews for the film. Controversy erupted when it emerged that voters had been treated by studio Sony to an all-expenses-paid trip to Las Vegas, culminating in a concert by Cher.

Oldman and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy were largely ignored by the Globes, though the British actor picked up an Academy Awards nomination for best actor and the film garnered nods for best adapted screenplay and best score.