The 4 Actors (and 1 Movie) That Should Absolutely Win a 2026 Oscar

• Nominees: Jessie Buckley, Hamnet; Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I'd Kick You; Kate Hudson, Song Sung Blue; Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value; Emma Stone, Bugonia
• Who should win: Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I'd Kick You

I love any movie or show starring Rose Byrne. I fell in love with her in Bridesmaids, fawned over her onstage performance in Medea and now, I’m rooting for her to take home the Oscar for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You. Her layered performance as a mother experiencing next-level burnout (and descending into madness) is phenomenal. The buzz is all surrounding Hamnet’s Buckley, however, Byrne could pull off the upset win. She did beat out Hudson and Stone for the Golden Globe this year for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy…

• Nominees: Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme; Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another; Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon; Michael B. Jordan, Sinners; Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent
• Who should win: Michael B. Jordan, Sinners

Oof, Michael B. Jordan has stiff competition here, but I’m pulling for him, nonetheless. His performance as a pair of twin brothers is nuanced, layered, deep and moving. He makes you laugh one minute, terrifies you the next and breaks your heart the moment after. He lost the Golden Globe to Wagner Moura, but I’m hoping the Academy recognizes how transcendent Jordan’s performance is.

• Nominees: Elle Fanning, Sentimental Value; Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value; Amy Madigan, Weapons; Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners; Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another
• Who should win: Amy Madigan, Weapons OR Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners

This is a category where I’d be thrilled if either of two actresses took home the statuette: Madigan for her wild and terrifying Aunt Gladys portrayal or Mosaku for her powerful and Golden Globe-snubbed performance. Honestly, Madigan deserves the win for that scene of her running through the neighborhood houses alone. Meanwhile, Mosaku (who you might recognize from Loki) was absolutely fabulous going toe-to-toe with Jordan (and the walking dead).

• Nominees: Benicio Del Toro, One Battle After Another; Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein; Delroy Lindo, Sinners; Sean Penn, One Battle After Another; Stellan Skarsgard, Sentimental Value
• Who should win: Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein

This has been the year of Jacob Elordi. At the Globes he was nominated in the film and TV categories. He’s currently killing it on the Wuthering Heights press tour. The man is ready for an Oscar. And in a category of beautiful performances, his stands out for its grotesque but moving nature. His portrayal of the creature was wildly unique and, if you ask me, award-worthy.

• Nominees: Bugonia; F1; Frankenstein; Hamnet; Marty Supreme; One Battle After Another; The Secret Agent; Sentimental Value; Sinners; Train Dreams
• Who should win: Sinners

As I pointed out back in December, Sinners was the single best movie of 2025. The cast of this movie is incredible, and what initially feels like a period drama quickly takes a genre-bending turn with a series of tense and thrilling twists. The film is unlike any other that came out last year, thanks to Ryan Coogler’s genius direction. Though others may be rooting for One Battle After Another, I’m all in on Sinners (which just so happened to receive a record-breaking 16 Oscar nominations).