Best Supporting Actress Contenders For The 2026 Awards Season

The awards season is now upon and the best supporting actress race is getting very heated and varied in performances whether their witches, actresses, writers, or revolutionaries. These 7 women are fighting for a spot in the lucky 5 that will be chosen on Oscar Sunday. Here are the contenders for best supporting actress in the 2025 season…

Amy Madigan as Aunt Gladys in Weapons

In this wholly original horror film from Zach Cregger comes Weapons, a horror/mystery about an entire class that disappears from Justine Gandy’s (Julia Garner) classroom at 2:17 am one night, walking out the front door, with their arms at 45-degree angles, and running into the darkness. The culprit is none other than Aunt Gladys (Amy Madigan), a kooky witch who is a relative of some kind to Alex (Cary Christopher), the only kid who didn’t disappear from Justine’s class, and who takes care of his parents and classmates who are hidden in his house in a vegetative state. Aunt Gladys is equally funny and terrifying, whether she is feigning being out of breath or being mauled by a horde of children. Madigan gives it her all in this film and is garnering lots of awards buzz. Some are confused on why she would even get a nomination, but they seem to forget that in 1968, there was a film called Rosemary’s Baby that won an Oscar win for Ruth Gordon, who plays Rosemary Woodhouse’s neighbor (and witch!!!) Minnie Castevet.

Ariana Grande-Butera as Glinda the Good in Wicked: For Good

Ariana Grande-Butera is back to claim her Oscar nomination/win in Wicked: Ariana’s Revenge *cough* *cough* Wicked: For Good as Glinda the Good. This is the second half of the Wicked story but it’s much darker. Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) has been in hiding, Glinda is Oz’s propaganda machine, Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) is torn between the two of them, and darkness reigns above Oz. Glinda evolves even more in this film than the previous before; she has feelings of guilt (more than “No One Mourns the Wicked” in Wicked), mourning, begrudgingly accepting her role in the Wizard and Madame Morrible’s evil plan, and wanting the best for her friend Elphie. Ariana turns the perky upperclass girl into a genuine friend to the most ostracized person in all of Oz. She is currently the front-runner in a majority of Oscar predictions (maybe the Academy will correct their Emilia Pérez mistake).

Teyana Taylor as Perfidia Beverly Hills in One Battle After Another

Teyana Taylor stepped on the movie scene in A Thousand and One and has continued success in TV and film. Her performance as Perfidia Beverly Hills is currently gaining lots of awards buzz (and rightfully so). The character of Perfidia Beverly Hills is one full of complicated emotions and ambiguity; the character is a member of the French 75, a radical group of revolutionaries who are constantly moving from place to place evading capture from Lockjaw (Sean Penn) a brutal army commander. Perfidia Beverly Hills is in a relationship with Bob Ferguson (Leonardo DiCaprio), a revolutionary and Lockjaw, with whom she bears his child. After killing a security guard during a robbery, turning her “friends” in, becoming jealous of Bob’s relationship with Willa (Chase Infiniti), their daughter, and going into witness protection; she escapes to Mexico never looking back. Teyana Taylor doesn’t make Perfidia Beverly Hills an unsympathetic character, she makes you understand her envy, her desperation, and her need to start over.

Regina Hall as Deandra “Lady Champagne” in One Battle After Another

Regina Hall has been a well-known figure in the comedy scene, whether she was cracking us up as Brenda in the Scary Movie franchise or going to New Orleans with her friends in Girls Trip. But in Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film, she strips away her wisecracks and antics; instead she is a revolutionary in the French 75 named Deandra or “Lady Champagne”. She, Bob, and Howard Sommerville are the last remaining members (Perfidia’s whereabouts are still unknown) and she comes to Willa’s (Chase Infiniti) rescue before Lockjaw (Sean Penn) can get her. Hall’s portrayal of Deandra is one full of determination, hope, and the endless quest for justice. Hall sadly got snubbed at the Golden Globe nominations in the supporting actress category.

Wunmi Mosaku as Annie in Sinners

Wunmi Mosaku and Amy Madigan are making supporting horror performances more mainstream in the awards race. Wunmi Mosaku plays Annie, a hoodoo practitioner and the estranged wife of Smoke (Michael B. Jordan). Mosaku brings an elegance to Annie that could easily be performed as a stereotypical hoodoo witch; instead Annie guides the group of survivors to defend themselves against the vampires, stands up against them, and sacrifices herself so she can be reunited with she and Smoke’s child who passed away. Mosaku won the Critic’s Choice Award for best supporting actress, which solidified her chances in the awards race.

Elle Fanning as Rachel Kemp in Sentimental Value

Elle Fanning sadly missed a chance to enter the best supporting actress race last year due to Monica Barbaro’s performance as Joan Baez in James Mangold’s A Complete Unknown. Now her chance has arrived in Joachim Trier’s drama Sentimental Value. Fanning plays a young actress named Rachel Kemp who gains the attention of celebrated director Gustav Borg (Stellan Skarsgård) at a film festival and he decides to cast her in a film based on the life of his mother, after his daughter Nora (Renate Reinsve) turns him down. Rachel goes to Norway, starts workshopping for her role, and then soon realizes that she isn’t right for the role. Elle Fanning brings a lot of nuance to this role; one that contains excitement, wisdom, and some sadness.

Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas as Agnes Borg Petterson in Sentimental Value

Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas is a breakout this year in the awards race. Lilleaas plays Agnes, Nora’s (Renate Reinsve) sister who is a writer. Lilleaas is truly the rock of Sentimental Value; she is an inspiration for Rachel Kemp (Elle Fanning), confidant to Nora, and an early muse for Gustav (Stellan Skarsgård). She is also a mother, a wife, and a career driven person. She does not lash out like Nora and she is not emotionally distance like Gustav. Her performance contains an understated quietness that seeps through every time she appears on screen.