Elysia wraps up the CinemaHounds pre-Oscars prep series with special guest Paulo from the Oscar's Death Race Podcast and a deep dive into the acting categories: Best Actress, Best Actor, Supporting Actor, and Supporting Actress. Who's nominated, who should have been nominated, and who will win?

And then they conclude with a look at this year's brand new category: Casting. What is it, why is it here, and who will take home the first statue?

Join us on the Lorehounds Discord (see link.tree below) to discuss all this and more in the #awards-season channel – plus a live chat while the ceremony is airing!

And send your hot takes about the ceremony to lorehounds@thelorehounds.com to be included in the wrap-up discussion!

Note: All film discussion in this episode is spoiler-free.

Check out the Oscars Death Race Podcast w/ Paulo!

The nominees:

Best Actress (00:16:37)

Jessie Buckley as Agnes Shakespeare – Hamnet (to rent, our coverage [subscribers])
Rose Byrne as Linda – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (HBO Max, our coverage [subscribers])
Kate Hudson as Clare Lavinia – Song Sung Blue (Peacock)
Renate Reinsve as Nora Borg – Sentimental Value(to rent, our coverage [subscribers])
Emma Stone as Michelle Fuller – Bugonia (Peacock)

Best Actor (01:05:52)

Timothée Chalamet as Marty Mauser – Marty Supreme (to rent)
Leonardo DiCaprio as Bob Ferguson – One Battle After Another (HBO Max, our coverage: pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3)
Ethan Hawke as Lorenz Hart – Blue Moon (Netflix)
Michael B. Jordan as Elijah "Smoke" Moore / Elias "Stack" Moore – Sinners (HBO Max, our coverage)
Wagner Moura as Armando Solimões / Marcelo Alves / Fernando Solimões – The Secret Agent (Hulu)

Best Supporting Actor (01:40:53)

Stellan Skarsgård as Gustav Borg – Sentimental Value (to rent, our coverage [subscribers])
Benicio del Toro as Sergio St. Carlos – One Battle After Another (HBO Max, our coverage: pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3)
Sean Penn as Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw – One Battle After Another (HBO Max, our coverage: pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3)
Delroy Lindo as Delta Slim – Sinners (HBO Max, our coverage)
Jacob Elordi as the Creature – Frankenstein (Netflix, our coverage)

Best Supporting Actress (01:58:26)

Teyana Taylor as Perfidia Beverly Hills – One Battle After Another (HBO Max, our coverage: pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3)
Wunmi Mosaku as Annie – Sinners (HBO Max,

Oscars 2026 – Acting (Lead & Supporting) + Casting