Oscars 2026 live: One Battle takes home Best Casting, Supporting Actor wins
Oscars 2026 live: One Battle takes home Best Casting, Supporting Actor wins
The 98th Academy Awards have delivered a historic night of cinema, marked by the introduction of new categories and the cementing of legendary careers. Paul Thomas Anderson's sprawling political thriller, One Battle After Another, emerged as a dominant force early in the evening, securing pivotal victories that have shifted the momentum of the awards season. Most notably, the film made history by winning the first-ever Oscar for Best Casting, while veteran actor Sean Penn achieved the rare feat of winning his third acting Academy Award, taking home the trophy for Best Supporting Actor. As the ceremony unfolds at the Dolby Theatre, the industry is witnessing a shift toward recognizing the collaborative essence of filmmaking, from the meticulous work of casting directors to the transformative power of character acting.
In the 2026 Oscars live coverage, One Battle After Another has secured major wins including Best Casting for Cassandra Kulukundis and Best Supporting Actor for Sean Penn. These victories, alongside a win for Best Adapted Screenplay, position the film as a frontrunner for Best Picture. This year's ceremony also marked the debut of the Best Casting category, the first new competitive category added to the Academy Awards since 2001.
A Historic Milestone: The Inaugural Best Casting Award
For the first time in the Academy's nearly century-long history, the vital role of the casting director has been recognized with its own competitive category. The inaugural Oscar for Best Casting was awarded to Cassandra Kulukundis for her exceptional work on One Battle After Another. This addition to the ceremony is a significant milestone, acknowledging that the foundation of any great performance begins with the right selection of talent. Kulukundis, a frequent collaborator with Paul Thomas Anderson, beat out a formidable field of nominees including Francine Maisler for Sinners and Nina Gold for Hamnet. In her emotional acceptance speech, Kulukundis dedicated the award to all the casting directors who paved the way for this recognition but never had the opportunity to stand on the Oscar stage.
Sean Penn Joins the Elite Three-Time Winners Club
Sean Penn's victory in the Best Supporting Actor category for his role as Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw has elevated him into the most exclusive ranks of Hollywood royalty. By winning his third Oscar, Penn joins a select group of legendary actors including Daniel Day-Lewis, Jack Nicholson, and Meryl Streep who have earned three or more acting statuettes. Penn's portrayal of the volatile and calculating military officer was hailed by critics as one of the most intense performances of his career. Despite the win, Penn maintained his characteristic distance from the Hollywood establishment by not attending the ceremony. The award was accepted on his behalf by presenter Kieran Culkin, who jokingly remarked on Penn's absence, noting that the actor’s disdain for the pageantry of awards season remains as firm as ever.
Paul Thomas Anderson and the Success of One Battle After Another
One Battle After Another entered the 98th Academy Awards with 13 nominations, second only to Ryan Coogler's Sinners. The film’s early success in Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Casting, and Best Supporting Actor suggests a broad base of support across the Academy's various branches. Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, the film is a high-stakes "chase film" that weaves together timely political themes with a deep character study. The narrative follows a former revolutionary, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, as he attempts to rescue his daughter. The film's ability to sweep technical and performance categories early in the night has made it the primary challenger to the heavily favored Sinners for the night's top prize, Best Picture.
The Competition: Sinners vs. One Battle After Another
While One Battle After Another has dominated the acting and screenplay discussions, Ryan Coogler's Sinners remains the statistical favorite of the night. With a record-breaking 16 nominations, Sinners has already secured a win for Best Original Screenplay. The rivalry between these two films represents a clash of cinematic styles: Coogler’s genre-bending vampire epic versus Anderson’s gritty, political realism. As the live broadcast continues, the distribution of awards in the technical categories has been split, with the literary adaptation Frankenstein sweeping the visual categories like Best Costume Design and Best Production Design, leaving the major "Big Five" awards as a toss-up between the night's two titans.
| Award Category | Winner - 98th Academy Awards |
|---|---|
| Best Casting | Cassandra Kulukundis (One Battle After Another) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Sean Penn (One Battle After Another) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Amy Madigan (Weapons) |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another) |
| Best Original Screenplay | Ryan Coogler (Sinners) |
The Significance of the Best Casting Category
The introduction of the Best Casting category is more than just an additional trophy; it is a fundamental shift in how the industry views the filmmaking process. Academy leadership, including CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang, emphasized that casting directors are essential creative partners who shape the vision of a film. The science and art of "DNA matching" in casting—finding the perfect actor to embody a written character—has long been invisible to the general public. By bringing this craft into the spotlight, the Academy is acknowledging the complexity of building an ensemble cast, especially in sprawling dramas like One Battle After Another, where the chemistry between veteran stars like DiCaprio and newcomers like Chase Infiniti is crucial to the film's success.
Conan O’Brien Returns as Host
Returning for his second consecutive year, Conan O’Brien has brought a sense of wit and international unity to the ceremony. In his opening monologue, O’Brien joked about the sheer length of the nomination list for Sinners and offered a "powerful" tribute to the legendary Rob Reiner. O'Brien's presence has been praised for balancing the high-stakes tension of the evening with necessary levity. His ability to handle the unpredictable nature of live television was put to the test when several winners were not present to accept their awards, a trend led by Sean Penn. O’Brien navigated these moments by focusing on the artistic achievements of the films themselves, framing cinema as a universal language in a divided political climate.
Documentary Wins Highlight Global Issues
Beyond the glamour of the acting categories, the 2026 Oscars have also shone a light on pressing global concerns through the Documentary categories. Mr. Nobody Against Putin took home the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. The film, created in secret, provides a harrowing look at youth indoctrination in Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. In the Short Subject category, All the Empty Rooms won for its poignant exploration of the human toll of school shootings in America. These wins underscore the Academy's commitment to honoring films that use the medium of cinema to document injustice and foster social awareness, providing a somber but necessary counterpoint to the night's celebrations.
Technical Sweeps and Artistic Achievements
While the narrative of the night has been focused on the "Big Two," the film Frankenstein proved to be an unbeatable force in the technical and craft categories. The film swept awards for Best Hair and Makeup, Best Production Design, and Best Costume Design. This technical dominance highlights the industry's continued appreciation for high-concept, period-accurate filmmaking. Meanwhile, the win for Best Supporting Actress went to Amy Madigan for her role in Weapons, a victory that was seen as a major win for the horror-thriller genre. Madigan's win, much like Penn's, was a testament to the power of a veteran performer bringing depth to a complex, villainous role.
Conclusion
The 2026 Academy Awards will be remembered as the year the "invisible" art of casting finally took center stage and Sean Penn solidified his status as one of the greatest actors of his generation. As One Battle After Another continues to collect trophies, it is clear that Paul Thomas Anderson has crafted a masterpiece that resonates deeply with the current cultural moment. Whether it takes home Best Picture or not, the film’s impact on the record books is already secured. The 98th Oscars have successfully balanced tradition with evolution, proving that even after nearly a century, Hollywood still has the power to surprise, honor new crafts, and celebrate the enduring legends of the silver screen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the first Oscar for Best Casting? Cassandra Kulukundis won the inaugural Academy Award for Best Casting in 2026 for her work on the film One Battle After Another.
How many Oscars does Sean Penn have now? As of the 2026 Oscars, Sean Penn has three Academy Awards. He previously won Best Actor for Mystic River (2003) and Milk (2008), and his third win was for Best Supporting Actor in One Battle After Another (2026).
What is the movie One Battle After Another about? Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, it is a political chase thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a former revolutionary who goes on a mission to rescue his kidnapped daughter.
Which movie had the most nominations at the 2026 Oscars? Ryan Coogler's vampire thriller Sinners set a record with 16 nominations, the most for any single film in the history of the Academy Awards.
Why didn't Sean Penn attend the 2026 Oscars? Sean Penn did not attend the ceremony, which is consistent with his past history of skipping the event. Presenter Kieran Culkin accepted the award on his behalf.
Oscars 2026 live: One Battle takes home Best Casting, Supporting Actor wins
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