6 Actors & Directors More People Should Be Talking About Before The 2026 Oscars

By the time Oscar nominations arrive each year, the conversation tends to settle around a familiar handful of names, whose projects can be found on Netflix, Prime Video, and more. This year it's happening again. Michael B. Jordan's performance in Sinners has dominated headlines for months. Timothée Chalamet's turn in Marty Supreme keeps showing up in predictions and awards roundups. And Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another is exactly the sort of ambitious filmmaking the academy has historically gravitated toward.

None of that is surprising. Big stars in big films tend to drive the conversation during awards season. But once you actually start working through the full list of nominees, something else becomes clear. Some of the most interesting performances and directing work aren't coming from the names getting the most attention. They're coming from actors and filmmakers who are nominated but somehow still flying a little under the radar. The 2026 nominees have plenty of these scattered throughout the categories. So before the ceremony rolls around, here are some actors and directors who deserve more attention in 2026.

Renate Reinsve

Nominated For Best Actress - Sentimental Value (2025)

Norwegian actress Renate Reinsve is one of those actors critics seem to fall in love with almost immediately. That happened when she broke out internationally in The Worst Person in the World (2021), and it's happening again this year with her performance in Sentimental Value. What's surprising is that outside of film circles, her name still doesn't come up nearly as often as you might expect for someone delivering such incredible work.

Directed by Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value follows Nora Borg (Reinsve), who returns home after years away, only to find herself pulled back into the complicated family dynamic she had escaped. Old resentments surface quickly. Conversations that should have happened years ago start happening all at once. It's hard to imagine the story working nearly as well without Reinsve in the lead role. It's ideal for fans of intimate character dramas like Past Lives (2023).

Wagner Moura

Nominated For Best Actor – The Secret Agent (2025)

A lot of viewers still immediately associate Wagner Moura with his unforgettable performance as Pablo Escobar in the 2015 Netflix series Narcos. But The Secret Agent is a good reminder that he's capable of doing something very different when the right project comes along. The political thriller follows a government operative sent on what initially appears to be a routine mission, but the assignment grows far more complicated.

Moura's performance works because it avoids the usual spy-movie theatrics. Instead of leaning into dramatic speeches or explosive confrontations, he plays the character with controlled intensity. It's serious, dramatic work, but it never feels overly showy, which might be part of the reason his performance isn't dominating awards headlines the way some others are. The Secret Agent is perfect for fans of slow-burn political thrillers like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011).

Jacob Elordi

Nominated For Best Supporting Actor – Frankenstein (2025)

Jacob Elordi's recent career choices have been interesting to watch. Not that long ago, he was still strongly associated with teen dramas and streaming hits. But lately, he's been turning up in projects that feel much closer to blockbuster filmmaking. Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein is easily the most ambitious of those roles so far. The film revisits Mary Shelley's classic 1818 novel through del Toro's signature philosophical gothic lens.

Elordi's supporting performance as the Creature fits comfortably into that world. Instead of competing with the film's darker themes or elaborate visuals, he plays the character with a quieter, more restrained presence. Then, it slowly becomes clear how important his unsettling energy is to the story. For audiences who still associate Elordi with his earlier work, this performance might come as a bit of a surprise. It's perfect for fans of fantasy like Crimson Peak (2015).

Wunmi Mosaku

Nominated For Best Supporting Actress – Sinners (2025)

Sinners has been one of the biggest stories of the 2026 Oscar race, with its mix of historical drama, supernatural horror, and gothic atmosphere. The film has picked up several nominations and generated constant discussion during awards season. Most of that conversation has focused on Michael B. Jordan's dual performance as the Smokestack Twins. But one of the movie's most impressive contributions comes from Wunmi Mosaku.

Sinners follows Elijah and Elias Moore, who return to their hometown, where they are forced to deal with supernatural entities. Mosaku plays Annie, who slowly becomes central to the emotional core of the story. She isn't always the focus of the narrative, but whenever she appears, the tone of the film shifts slightly. By the time the film reaches its final act, it becomes clear just how important her role has been all along. It's ideal for anyone who loves genre-blending horror like 2017's Get Out.

Joachim Trier

Nominated For Best Director - Sentimental Value (2025)

Joachim Trier has spent years building one of the most respected careers in contemporary European cinema. His films tend to generate strong critical reactions, yet they rarely dominate mainstream awards conversations the way larger productions do. And Sentimental Value continues that pattern. The film revolves around a family reunion that slowly turns into something far more emotionally complicated than anyone involved expected.

Trier's directing style leans heavily toward emotional realism. Scenes play out naturally, and conversations drift in unexpected directions. Characters interrupt each other or avoid saying the thing that clearly needs to be said. That slightly messy approach gives the film a sense of authenticity that feels rare in many modern dramas, which might be exactly why the film has resonated so strongly with critics. It's perfect for anyone who enjoys dramas like Before Midnight (2013).

Chloé Zhao

Nominated For Best Director – Hamnet (2025)

Chloé Zhao has already won an Oscar for directing 2020's Nomadland. But oddly enough, her return to the awards race this year hasn't generated nearly the same level of noise. That's surprising considering how distinctive her filmmaking style tends to be. Her latest film, Hamnet, adapts the novel about the death of William Shakespeare's young son and the emotional aftermath that shapes the writer's life and work.

The story focuses on Shakespeare's wife, Agnes (Jessie Buckley), as she deals with grief and how it changes a family over time. On paper, it sounds like a traditional historical drama. But Zhao doesn't really direct it that way. Her films usually lean toward something more observational, where the emotion builds slowly rather than through big dramatic moments. That style makes Hamnet stand out in a field of larger, more obviously Oscar-shaped productions.