As the award season continues from now until Oscar Sunday on March 15, the acting races are getting tighter and tighter, especially in the acting categories. So many supporting actor contenders have arrived this season with some losing their buzz quickly, such as Delroy Lindo in Sinners, Diego Luna in Kiss of the Spider Woman, Conan O’Brien in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, Pedro Pascal in Materialists, Diego Calva in On Swift Horses, and Jonathan Bailey in Wicked: For Good. But seven contenders rose to the top and are fighting their way into the 5-person slot on Oscars night. Here are the supporting actor contenders for 2026…
Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare in Hamnet
Paul Mescal, Paul Mescal, Paul Mescal…the sad boy of cinema. Whether he is a father dealing with his inner demons in Aftersun or a man in a queer relationship in The History of Sound he manages to take our hearts and stomp on them in every role he takes on. Now in the most saddest of sad boy roles he plays William “Will” Shakespeare, the famed author who with his wife Agnes Shakespeare (Jessie Buckley) AKA Anne Hathaway have lost their child Hamnet which brings great turmoil to their marriage (as any death of a child would). Inspired by it, he writes Hamlet and the rest is history. His performance shows his courtship of Agnes filled with happiness and young love; then to the death of Hamnet which contains a deep sadness and an unspoken anger that cannot be communicated. Mescal still manages to find gold in these sad boy roles and it may bring him closer to holding the little gold man on Sunday March 15th.
Jacob Elordi as The Creature in Frankenstein
Frankenstein…that name is meant to bring fear and conjure up the image of Boris Karloff’s face; instead Guillermo Del Toro casted Jacob Elordi (known for his role as the angry and volatile Nate in the HBO show Euphoria) as Frankenstein’s monster AKA The Creature. Elordi’s portrayal of the creature is different than most; he is gentle, kind, and longs to be truly human. Elordi turns the Creature into a beautiful soul who just wants to be loved as a person and not as a spectacle.
Stellan Skarsgård as Gustav Borg in Sentimental Value
Sentimental Value should have been named The Worst Father in the World because of Stellan Skarsgård’s performance as Gustav Borg in Sentimental Value. Joachim Trier wrote one of the most emotionally constipated characters to ever grace the silver screen. Gustav Borg is a Swedish director who’s work can touch people but personally he cannot. After his ex-wife passes and the house is left in his name, he travels back to Sweden to claim the house, cast his family in his movie, and attempt to win the trust of his daughters back. Skarsgård makes Gustav’s emotional constipation relatable and authentic.
Adam Sandler as Ron Sukenick in Jay Kelly
The Sandman is entering the Oscars race again after his past attempts for the films Punch Drunk-Love, Uncut Gems, and Hustle in Noah Baumbach’s new film Jay Kelly. In this film Adam Sandler plays Ron, the manager and friend to George Clooney’s titular character. Sandler taps into his emotions in this film more than he has in previous works. He brings a sadness to Ron that is extremely heartbreaking due to his inner struggle to be an employee or a friend to Jay Kelly.
Sean Penn as Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw in One Battle After Another
Sean Penn is back in the Oscars conversation (his last since 2008, when he was nominated and won for his portrayal of Harvey Milk in Milk). Instead of playing an LGBTQ+ icon and trailblazer, he is playing a ruthless and complicated soldier named Col. Lockjaw, who is hunting after two fugitives from the French 75, Bob Ferguson (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his daughter Willa (Chase Infiniti). Lockjaw tries to seduce Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor) Bob’s wife, and Willa’s mother; join a white supremesist group called the Christmas Adventurers, and to discover if Willa is his daughter, if so it could complicate his standing with the Christmas Adventurers. Lockjaw is both funny and extremely menacing, all of which Sean Penn balances perfectly.
Benicio Del Toro as Sergio St. Carlos in One Battle After Another
Benicio Del Toro is back into the awards race as well with his performance as Willa’s sensei Sergio St. Carlos who helps Bob (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Willa (Chase Infiniti), and who is also runs a refuge for immigrants who are seeking a new life in the United States. He is a man who somehow stays calmer than Bob, who smokes an obscene amount of pot in the film. Benicio brings the humor, the charm, and the gravitas that every good supporting actor brings to a film. This could potentially be Benicio’s 3rd nomination after his win for Traffic and his nomination for 21 Grams.
Andrew Scott as Richard Rodgers in Blue Moon
In Blue Moon, Andrew Scott has the hardest job in the world…having to break up with Ethan Hawke. Scott plays Richard Rodgers (one-half of the songwriting duo Rodgers and Hart) who has come to tell Laurenz Hart (Ethan Hawke) who is celebrating the success of their musical Oklahoma! that he is leaving to move on to different things. Scott brings a nuance to Rodgers that is different from his previous roles as the Hot Priest in Fleabag or most recently in Wake Up Dead Man; A Knives Out Mystery. Rodgers is more stoic, calm, and reasonable; while Hart is bombastic, eccentric, and tough to deal with at times. Scott has a strong chance of joining the 5 on Oscars night.
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