Two actors from different cinematic worlds created history on Oscar nomination morning, turning the 2026 Best Actor race into one of the most globally significant in recent memory. Timothée Chalamet earned his third Academy Award nomination before turning 31, while Wagner Moura became the first Brazilian performer ever nominated for Best Actor. Together, their milestones underscored an Academy increasingly open to both sustained Hollywood stardom and international breakthroughs.
Chalamet received his latest nomination for Marty Supreme, directed by Josh Safdie, in which he plays Marty Mauser, a gifted and fiercely competitive table tennis prodigy. At 30, Chalamet is now the youngest male actor in Oscar history to earn three acting nominations, a marker of consistency rarely seen among performers who break through so early in their careers.
Moura’s nomination arrived for The Secret Agent, directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho. His performance has propelled the film into the top tier of the awards conversation, earning him a place alongside some of the most established names in Hollywood. Moura’s recognition marks a first for Brazilian cinema in the Best Actor category and represents one of the most notable international acting breakthroughs in recent Oscar history.
This year’s Best Actor lineup reflects a category shaped by milestones rather than momentum alone. Chalamet and Moura are joined by Leonardo DiCaprio for One Battle After Another, Ethan Hawke for Blue Moon, and Michael B. Jordan for Sinners. The mix brings together long-established Academy favourites, contemporary Hollywood stars, and a historic international nominee, creating one of the most diverse Best Actor races in years.
For Chalamet, the nomination extends a remarkable Oscar trajectory that began in 2017, when he became the third-youngest Best Actor nominee ever at age 22 for Call Me by Your Name. He returned to the category in 2024 for A Complete Unknown, and his third nod now places him in rare company among actors who have sustained Academy recognition across multiple phases of their careers. His turn in Marty Supreme represents another shift in genre and persona, following a romantic drama and a biographical performance with a sports-driven character study.
Moura’s path to this moment carries a different but equally significant weight. While Brazilian performers have been recognised by the Academy before, acting nominations from the country have been rare. Moura is only the third Brazilian actor to receive an Oscar acting nomination, following Fernanda Montenegro for Central Station and Fernanda Torres for I’m Still Here. He is, however, the first Brazilian male actor to be nominated for Best Actor, placing his achievement in a historic context that extends beyond his individual performance.
The broader Oscar presence of The Secret Agent further amplifies Moura’s nomination. The film secured nominations for Best Picture, Best International Feature, and the Academy’s newly introduced Casting category, making it one of the most widely recognised international titles of the year. It also marks Brazil’s second consecutive Best Picture nomination, reinforcing the country’s growing visibility in the global awards landscape.
Marty Supreme, meanwhile, has emerged as a key performance-driven contender, with Chalamet’s portrayal widely credited for anchoring the film’s awards momentum. Directed by Josh Safdie, the sports dramedy represents a notable turn for the filmmaker, known for his high-intensity storytelling, and positions Chalamet at the centre of a project that blends mainstream appeal with character-focused filmmaking.
The parallel recognition of Chalamet and Moura reflects a Best Actor category that balances continuity and expansion. On one side stands a Hollywood actor whose career has unfolded in near-constant conversation with the Academy; on the other, an international performer breaking through a barrier that had remained intact for nearly a century. Both arrive in the same race, nominated on the strength of performances that anchored their respective films.
As awards season progresses toward the 98th Academy Awards ceremony, the Best Actor race is shaping up as one of the most competitive and symbolically important of the year. Whether the final outcome favours established Oscar familiarity or historic firsts, the nominations alone have already marked a defining moment—one that reflects an Academy increasingly willing to recognise both sustained excellence and global cinematic voices on the same stage.
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