It’s awards season again, and this year’s race is already shaping up to be one for the history books. On Wednesday, January 7, 2026, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) announced the nominations for the 32nd Annual Actor Awards—formerly known as the SAG Awards—and the results sent shockwaves through Hollywood. At the center of the buzz is Paul Thomas Anderson’s revolutionary epic, One Battle After Another, which shattered records by earning a staggering seven nominations, the most ever received by a single film in the 31-year history of the awards, according to Associated Press and Mashable.
The nominations, which were revealed to much fanfare, positioned One Battle After Another as the clear frontrunner this season. The film’s ensemble cast—led by Leonardo DiCaprio, Chase Infiniti, Teyana Taylor, Sean Penn, and Benicio Del Toro—garnered individual acting nods, while the film’s entire cast and stunt ensemble were also nominated. This marks a significant leap, as no film in the history of the Actor Awards has previously received more than five nominations in a single year, USA Today reported.
Hot on its heels is Sinners, which racked up five nominations, placing it in a tie for second place on the all-time leaderboard with films like Shakespeare in Love (1999) and Everything Everywhere All at Once (2023), as noted by Billboard. Sinners earned recognition for its standout performances, with Michael B. Jordan nominated for best male actor, and Miles Caton and Wunmi Mosaku both receiving supporting actor nods. The film’s cast and stunt ensemble also made the cut, underscoring its broad appeal among the voting body of more than 122,000 SAG-AFTRA members.
The best ensemble category, often considered a bellwether for Oscar success, features a competitive slate: One Battle After Another, Sinners, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, and Frankenstein. Historically, winning the SAG ensemble award has been a near prerequisite for Oscar glory—only four films in the past three decades have won Best Picture at the Oscars without first securing a nomination for best ensemble at the Actor Awards, according to Variety.
There were some notable surprises and snubs this year. In the best male actor category, Jesse Plemons (Bugonia) joined the expected favorites: DiCaprio, Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme), Michael B. Jordan, and Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon). Chalamet, who won last year for A Complete Unknown, remains a strong contender after vowing in his acceptance speech to "pursue greatness." For best female actor, Chase Infiniti (One Battle After Another), Jessie Buckley (Hamnet), Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You), Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue), and Emma Stone (Bugonia) round out the list. The supporting categories also saw fresh faces, with Odessa A’Zion (Marty Supreme) and Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another) earning their first nods.
Pop culture fans will recognize some familiar names among this year’s nominees. Ariana Grande picked up a nomination for female actor in a supporting role for her turn as Glinda in Wicked: For Good, while Selena Gomez received an ensemble nod for her work in Only Murders in the Building. According to Billboard, this is Grande’s second consecutive year in the supporting category, though her co-star Cynthia Erivo, a nominee last year, missed out this time. For Gomez, it’s the fifth straight year her show has been nominated for comedy ensemble, though she has yet to snag a solo acting nomination.
On the television side, Apple’s The Studio led all programs with five nominations, just one shy of the all-time record set by Angels in America and Everybody Loves Raymond in 2004. The Studio was recognized for its ensemble cast, as well as standout performances from Seth Rogen, Kathryn Hahn, Catherine O’Hara, and Ike Barinholtz. HBO’s The White Lotus and Netflix’s Adolescence each secured four nominations, highlighting the growing influence of streaming platforms in prestige television. As Mashable pointed out, these series dominated the drama and limited series categories, with The White Lotus earning nods for Parker Posey, Walton Goggins, and Aimee Lou Wood.
First-time nominees were a major theme this year. Among them are Odessa A’Zion, Jessie Buckley, Miles Caton, and Chase Infiniti, all recognized for their breakthrough performances. In television, newcomers like Owen Cooper and Erin Doherty (Adolescence) and Walton Goggins (The White Lotus) also made their debut on the Actor Awards roster. The list of multiple nominees is equally impressive, with stars like Timothée Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Benicio Del Toro each earning two nods across different projects.
The ceremony itself is set to take place on Sunday, March 1, 2026, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, and will be streamed live on Netflix—a first for the awards show, reflecting the industry’s ongoing shift toward digital platforms. The event will be particularly special as legendary actor Harrison Ford is slated to receive the guild’s life achievement award, honoring his decades-long impact on film and television.
Of course, the Actor Awards aren’t just about the films and shows—they’re a crucial barometer for the Oscars. Actors make up the largest voting branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and historically, there’s been significant overlap between SAG and Oscar nominees. According to Associated Press, about four out of five individual SAG nominees go on to receive Oscar nods. But there are always exceptions: last year, Chalamet won best male actor at SAG but lost the Oscar to Adrien Brody (The Brutalist), while Conclave took best ensemble at SAG but lost the Oscar for best picture to Sean Baker’s Anora.
Some international films and performances were notably left out this year, a trend that’s been observed before. Acclaimed works like Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value, the Iranian revenge drama It Was Just an Accident, and the Brazilian political thriller The Secret Agent were overlooked by the SAG-AFTRA voting body, which tends to favor English-language productions. However, with the Academy’s increasingly international membership, these films may find greater success when Oscar nominations are announced on January 22.
As the countdown to March 1 continues, excitement—and speculation—will only grow. With One Battle After Another and Sinners leading the pack, and a diverse set of new and veteran talents in the mix, this year’s Actor Awards promise to be both historic and unpredictable. And with the ceremony just two weeks before the Oscars, Hollywood’s biggest night, all eyes will be on which performances and productions take home the coveted trophies.
Whatever the outcome, the 2026 Actor Awards have already made their mark, setting new records and shining a spotlight on both established stars and rising talent across film and television.
