Reactions to 2026 Best Actor Oscar Nominations: Chalamet vs. DiCaprio

Have you seen the 98th Oscars noms? It’s wild, Marty Supreme star Timothée Chalamet and Leo DiCaprio both scored Best Actor nods. Chalamet just turned 30 and grabbed his third Best Actor nomination, and he’s now the youngest guy ever to do that. Marty Supreme itself got 9 nods (including Best Picture), and Timmy literally reposted A24’s announcement with a big “BIG DREAAAAM!!!!” caption on Insta. Meanwhile Leo’s gangster epic One Battle After Another picked up 13 noms, giving Leo eight career Oscar nominations now. So the Best Actor race is bananas stacked: it’s Chalamet vs. DiCaprio vs. Ethan Hawke vs. Michael B. Jordan vs. Wagner Moura. Seriously, the lineup is pretty insane.

Trade press is already hyping Chalamet as the front-runner. He’s already won the Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice for Marty Supreme this year, which are usually good Oscar indicators. On the other side, Leo is being humble, he gave props to Paul Thomas Anderson and said making the film was one of his most meaningful projects. Some say it’s finally Timmy’s turn (he came up short in ’18 and ’25), others say Leo’s overdue for another statue (Revenant was ages ago), and I bet you remember how big of a deal was him winning that year. I think we were all waiting for that after all the memes.

And don’t forget the other contenders (although I really think it’s basically a Chalamet vs. DiCaprio fight, sorry): Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon) and Michael B. Jordan (Sinners). The vampire flick Sinners actually smashed a record with 16 noms, so Michael’s performance has big momentum. Blue Moon isn’t far behind in buzz either. At this point it’s anyone’s game: Oscars love a young guy finally winning his first award, but they also love giving it to a legend.

So what do you guys think? Who’s taking Best Actor home? Are you Team Timmy or Team Leo (or Team Ethan/Michael/Moura)? Personally I’m leaning Chalamet, dude’s had an incredible run and I’d love to see him break through after coming so close. But man, Leo’s performance is top-tier too. Either way it’s gonna be one hell of an Oscars night, even though people have been saying that no one cares about the awards for ages. Drop your thoughts!