"One Battle After Another" leads Actor Awards 2026 nominations

The film “One Battle After Another,” a cinematic fresco about extremist drift in the United States, topped the nominations at the Actor Awards 2026, confirming its status as the leading favorite in this year’s Oscar race, AFP reports.

The new feature directed by Paul Thomas Anderson received seven nominations, a record in the history of the awards presented by the American actors’ union SAG-AFTRA, previously known as the SAG Awards. It was also nominated for “best ensemble cast,” the top category of the awards, alongside “Frankenstein,” “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme,” and “Sinners,” CE Report quotes AGERPRES.

Leonardo DiCaprio, who plays a former militant from far-left armed movements in “One Battle After Another,” pursued by a former enemy and white supremacist supporter (Sean Penn) who threatens his daughter (Chase Infiniti), will compete for the “best actor” award.

His main rivals include Timothée Chalamet, praised for his role as an extremely ambitious table tennis player in “Marty Supreme,” and Michael B. Jordan, who stars in “Sinners” as one of twin brothers fighting vampires in the segregationist American South. The other nominees are Ethan Hawke (“Blue Moon”) and Jesse Plemons (“Bugonia”).

All major cast members of “One Battle After Another”—Chase Infiniti, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, and Teyana Taylor—were nominated in acting categories, while the film also received a nomination for “best stunts.”

The movie has emerged as the “clear Oscar frontrunner,” said Clayton Davis, film columnist for Variety. Its main competitor is “Sinners,” which earned four nominations.

“It’s starting to resemble the ‘La La Land’ versus ‘Moonlight’ rivalry of 2017,” the journalist added.

Beyond this anticipated duel for best picture, “Marty Supreme” and “Hamnet”—a tragedy about the life of Shakespeare—each received three nominations.

Jessie Buckley, who portrays Shakespeare’s wife devastated by the death of their son, was nominated for “best actress.” According to Clayton Davis, she “appears to be a lock for an Oscar win.” The other nominees in this category are Rose Byrne (“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”), Kate Hudson (“Song Sung Blue”), Chase Infiniti (“One Battle After Another”), and Emma Stone (“Bugonia”).

In the supporting actor category, Paul Mescal, who plays William Shakespeare, faces strong competition from Sean Penn and Benicio del Toro (both nominated for “One Battle After Another”), Jacob Elordi (“Frankenstein”), and Miles Caton (“Sinners”).

Nominees for best supporting actress are Odessa A’zion (“Marty Supreme”), Ariana Grande (“Wicked: For Good”), Amy Madigan (“Weapons”), Wunmi Mosaku (“Sinners”), and Teyana Taylor (“One Battle After Another”).

As reported by CE Report, the Actor Awards, which adopted a new name this year, are voted on by Hollywood actors and are considered a strong indicator of future Oscar winners. Actors represent the largest branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The Actor Awards 2026 ceremony will take place on March 1 in Los Angeles and will be streamed on Netflix, two weeks before the Academy Awards.