The annual Academy awards will finally settle the public’s burning need to know who will win the best actor category.
The 2026 Oscars Best Actor race has turned into a blockbuster showdown between Timothée Chalamet in Marty Supreme and Michael B. Jordan in Sinners. We have reached this point, because both dropped jaw-dropping performances, with Chalamet channelling a wild ping-pong hustler under Josh Safdie’s gritty lens, his third Oscar nomination after Call Me by Your Name and A Complete Unknown. Jordan slays dual roles in Sinners as vampire-hunting twins facing 1930s racism in Ryan Coogler’s epic film.
Jordan has got serious momentum after snagging the Actors Award formally known as the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor. He won over Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio in One Battle After Another, and Ethan Hawke in Blue Moon. The Actors Award’s are purely voted by actors, who make up the Academy’s biggest voting group. That love from his peers could tip the scale big time when it comes to the Oscar’s.
Not helping Chalamet’s Oscar campaign is his recent comment about some of the most respected art forms of all time, ballet and opera. At a Variety-CNN event, he said “no one cares about” ballet or opera anymore, “with much respect,” sparking backlash from Whoopi Goldberg, Doja Cat, and arts advocates. The timing couldn’t be worse for the Oscar hopeful. This taking place during the peak of his Oscars campaign is horrible timing.
Chalamet messed up by disrespecting culturally significant art forms. Many fans were outraged and disappointed by his comments as well as confused, because his mother and sister are both trained ballet dancers.
The Oscars is no stranger to an intense battle within their categories. In 2005, Jamie Foxx and DiCaprio had a similar battle for their performances in Ray and The Aviator respectively, where everyone was waiting on the edge of their seats to know who would win.
Truth is, both gave powerful performances. Chalamet’s determination was felt through the screen, Jordan’s ability to play two convincingly different “cousins” – jaw dropping. And not to mention the other great actors in this category DiCaprio, Hawke and Wagner Moura performed brilliantly in their own right.
Whoever grabs the gold on March 16, 2026, between Chalamet or Jordan (or if it is a complete curveball), it’s a win for great acting either way.
FEATURED IMAGE: Who will win the best actor category at the 2026 Oscars. Graphic: Bonolo Mokonoto
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