The Best Actress Race: Nomination Tracks & Frankenstein Fusion
Sunday, January 25, 2026 at 9:00AM by Nathaniel R
I should probably switch this up as I've been doing it annually, but I can't resist. I love imagining a Frankenstein-fusion of the parts of all the BEST ACTRESS nominees. If you smoosh or stitch Renate, Kate, Emma, Jessie, and Rose together our Best Actress Category Avatar is a mid-career still-ascending brunette star on her second nomination. She's also dabbled in musicals, played Sally Bowles in "Cabaret", and BAFTA recognized her genius before Oscar voters did! Maybe she has false memories of winning an Oscar but this is only her second nomination. Her director has a proven track record with guiding actresses -- she may have even worked with them before -- to stellar performances. She's a fire sign with earth rising, a wife, a mother of two, and she just turned 40.
The movie she's nominated for is a drama about a young grieving mother struggling to balance her artistic career ambitions, with her obnoxious needy child--- wait, is she Alice from Alice Doesnt Live Here Anymore?. No uh, never mind, the movie is weirder than that. There's a darkly comic subplot about incels and mysterious holes in her ceiling but the main thrust of the narrative is that the most important man in her life (was it her dad or husband? I forget) is perpetually absent, consummed by his own artistic career ambitions, and has no time for her needs!
See the updated Best Actress chart
The chart includes a daily poll, "How'd They Get Nominated?" speculation (not meant as judgment -- nobody is nominated on performance alone!), stats, anecdotes, and trivia.
Reader Comments (24)
Didn’t Buckley talk about being pregnant and having a child during her globes speech? You have no children on her stats but I believe she just had a child.
I see that Nathaniel is happy with this category but is anyone else like me completely bored with this lineup? I feel no passion about anyone in it. I don’t think that’s ever happened to me with a best actress lineup. I literally don’t care who wins. Is it just me??
Charlea- I see where you are coming from. I love Rose Byrne, and am glad she is here, but never really put her on a ‘she should have an Oscar’ list y’know. Wasn’t very impressed with Stone in Bugonia (kinda boring if you ask me) and yeah the others don’t really bring much enthusiasm either.
I miss the Streep, Blanchett, Winslet, Julianne Moore days ;)
Firstly I can't understand anyone who sees Familiar Touch and doesn't put Kathleen Chalfant at the top of their ballot,tremendous work,she gets every aspect of that character just perfect
She's my winner this year and I seriously doubt Buckley or Seyfrield the 2 who I haven't seen could displace her.
My other 4 are Emma Stone Rose Byrne Kate Hudson and Julia Roberts.
Stone has entered her Meryl/Cate phase,every project she does will be considered,she's the latest Academy darling,a honour Amy Adams once held plus she's great once again but the role isn't very Oscary and it's going to be really hard for her to win a 3rd.she won too early in 2016.
Hudson I said this before to all the Oscar snobs who derided her chances and film,ok yes it is movie making by numbers but she elevates this woman to more than just a cipher and wife to Jackman who is also very good,no Globe nod for him surprised me,i'd say the best he has been for the longest time,you can be great in an ordinary movie.
Reinsve I got nothing from this performance,I didn't even like her,it started out intriguing but she kept the same glum look for the entire film untill I was fed up with the lot of them apart from the sister,I don't undertsand the praise for her or her film at all,the most mundane bore of a film I sat through,is it just because it's cool to like it cos the critics said it was,definitely one for cinephiles.
Buckley I haven't seen but she's an actress I don't find that interesting,she doesn't have that hook that some actresses have,she reminds me a little of Emily Watson,good actress but not a person who people will be devoted to in a few years.
I hated Die My Love and thought Lawrence was fine,will Lynne Ransey ever make a film that's remotely enjoyable or is she just going to keep making this type of abrasive cinema.
Chase Infiniti had a great breakthrough but I never bought her as Lead,category fraud works both ways.
Tessa Thomspn completely and utterly miscast,Nina Hoss was robbed of a nomination.
Eva Victor good but nothing i'd nominate,great screenplay,promising future,her time will come.
Jodie Foster I have not seen yet but I hope she is as good as out honest seems to say.
@Charlea I see what you mean,none of the greats of acting are their unless you include Emma Stone which I don't as very good as she is in Bugonia and some other films Battle of the Sexes and Poor Things.
None of my favourites are included like a Julia or a Jodie who were eligible and no Kate W,Tilda,Julianne,Meryl,Cate,Nicole,Annette etc,I was rooting for Demi last year but this year there's no-one despite liking most of thee actresses that I have a passionate devotion to
Mr Ripley79: you are SO right on both accounts about the Hedda actresses. That film made me finally “get” Nina Hoss. She’s great.
As for Buckley, it’s a good part in Hamnet but there was nothing in Buckley’s performance that made me think anyone else couldn’t have done the same thing. It’s reminding me a lot about Brie Larson sweeping for Room; I think the voters are voting for the part more than the performance. And I would have liked to see someone else in both parts.
Tony -- whoops you're right. She's a new mom. the kid was born in 2025
Yeah,I never got the Brie Larson in Room love,she's just not the kind of actress who inspires devoltion,only Emma seems to be getting that kind of love now.
I don't know who todays younger film fans are seeing as their passionate actress devotions.
In the past different generations had the Kates,Michelles and Meryls and Sissy and Jessica and Julianne and Nicole and Diane and Isabelle and in the past it was Gena,Faye,Ellen,Jane and before that Audrey,Shirley,Geraldine,Liz,Julie,Vanessa and before that Marilyn,Bette,Joan,Olivia,Anna Magani,Susan,Greta,Marlene,Jean etc
Charles & Tony -- I didn't say it was MY lineup. just that I like all 5 performances. Maybe I'm softening in my old age because as long as someone is in say my top 12 of that year, I don't object too much unless there was someone enormously obvious that Oscar voters were just dense about including.
for what it's worth I think the best actor race this year was way more exciting in terms of available performances to nominate (but I like the actual lineup much less)
If I had to vote, I’d probably vote for Rose even though her film was close to being unwatchable. But she’s the only one here that I can say “I didn’t know she could do that” and even that is kind of a cheat because I figured Rose could actually do that.
Pretty good lineup, Byrne blows them all out of the water though!! Amanda Seyfried was robbed!!
Emma Stone’s gonna turn 50 and all she’ll have to show for the “prestige era” of her career are these weird ass Yorgos movies. Where’s her Mike Nichols, her Todd Haynes, her Jonathan Demme? Her career has gotten way too arch and postmodern for my taste. She’s wasting her greatest gift which is bringing humor and relatability to ordinary situations.
I do wonder if BAFTA or SAG could shake this race up, I’d personally rather see Byrne or Hudson take the Oscar but that’s probably wishful thinking.
I think Emma Stone always brings humor and relatability to Lanthimos' batshit situations.
This "Frankenstein-fusion" avatar is brilliant! It perfectly distills the ultimate Oscar narrative—the mid-career actress with the second nomination and the director track record. It’s almost like you ran their entire filmographies through a specialized **image converter** to reveal the core archetype. I’m fascinated by the darkly comic subplot about the incels and the ceiling holes in her fictional nominated movie!
Thanks for the responses Nathaniel
My favorite line-up of the decade so far, and I wasn't expecting that. I also have love for the 2020 and 2023 rosters. But all of the performances thrilled and/or moved me - I respect all of the actresses involved. Byrne and Stone are my highlights here (I knew those excellent icy Bugonia monologues would be catnip to the actors branch and keep Emma in the race). It's great to see Byrne tear into a fantastic lead role and show us what we knew she was capable of - even though the film nearly flies off the rails.
Hudson gave a full blown movie star performance and showed off her beautiful voice. Her awards comeback gives me hope for other 'neglected' stars of her generation - McAdams and Morton, for example. Sentimental Value is my pick for Best Picture, the whole cast was exceptional.
There were lots of juicy options this year: Seyfried, Infiniti, Roberts, Thompson and Lawrence -
but you could tell the industry was just not open to most of these. But I am satisfied with how things panned out and I don't think anyone here sailed to a nod. I'm also more likely to revisit these films/performances than stuff like Iron Lady, Elizabeth: the Golden Age, The Reader or the End of the Affair.
Great charts.
I guess I can understand the lack of enthusiasm in the comments, but im a big fan of this group.
I think Reinsve is perfect, completely in tune with Trier and the rest of the cast. Her performance/anxiety scenes are my favorite kind of actressing.
Byrne, too, is a miracle, her proven ability to play irritants taken in a perverse new direction.
Lanthimos channels a different side of Stone, and she also gets to go very funny as the movie builds.
Buckley may not be my winner, but she's very strong, and has movie-star chemistry with Mescal.
Very strong choices.
I've only seen two of the five nominated performances (Buckley & Stone), but will be remedying that over the next couple of weeks. So on paper I like this lineup, but if I were to replace the ones I haven't seen with three that I actually have they would be Thompson in Hedda, Seyfried in The Testament of Ann Lee and Roberts in After the Hunt.
Emma Stone is 90% "Oh, wow, she shaved her hair for this."
Emma Stone is absolutely incredible in Bugonia- don't let the unconventional nature of the film fool you, the balance and the humor that she manages to imbue the role with is admirable.
@Frank
What did you see in Tessa,the accent was the first thing that put me off so unnatural,but she seemed so underwhelming and frankly uneven next to Nina Hoss,I do co sign the Roberts love though.
Ad-mIl Stone has become a bit of a love hate her actress of late,I think she's superb in Bugonia and much prefer her in it than in 2 of her nominated.winning turns
I just adore Hudson in SSB. My favorite female performance of 2025 by a mile. If SSB had somehow scored a surprise Best Picture nomination I 'd be predicting her but alas...
I was severely underwhelmed by Hamnet. Thought Buckley and Mescal had ZERO chemistry and this coming from someone who loves both actors. I have read every play by Shakespeare and was so excited for this film. Oh well.
I love Stone in Bugonia, I enjoyed Reinsve in SV, and I did admire Byrne in IIHLIKY but I'd be lying if I didn't say that there was a little "look at me Ma!" aspect to both the filmmaking and the performance itself.
My second favorite female performance of 2025 was Jennifer Lawrence in Die My Love but I always knew that there would be only room for either Byrne OR Lawrence, not both.
@Mr Ripley79
I found Tessa Thompson’s performance commanding, mesmerizing, charismatic. I thought she and Hoss were the highlight of the film, they both managed to balance the theatricality of the adaptation with nuanced character work. And their chemistry was electric.