Why Timothee Chalamet and Jessie Buckley may have sabotaged their chances at the Oscars

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They had appeared to be firmly on course for Oscar glory.

As a huge fan, I was really disappointed to see Timothée Chalamet and Jessie Buckley face some criticism right before the Oscars. Their recent comments seemed to cause a bit of a stir, and honestly, I’m worried it might hurt their chances of winning on Sunday. I’m still rooting for them, of course, but it’s definitely made things more complicated.

Winning awards these days isn’t just about a great movie; it also depends on skillfully shaping how a star is seen by the public.

Typically, candidates become very careful with their words once voting is underway, but Timothée and Jessie haven’t changed their approach at all.

Their comments quickly caused a lot of online discussion, and it risked taking attention away from the work that had previously made them strong contenders for an Oscar.

Ever since “Marty Supreme” premiered at the New York Film Festival in October 2025, Timothée has been considered a leading candidate for the Best Actor award.

Jessie is currently the frontrunner to win Best Actress for her powerful portrayal of Agnes Hathaway, a woman dealing with intense grief, in Chloe Zhao’s film, Hamnet.

The winners of this year’s Oscars have already been chosen. Academy members voted between February 26th and March 5th to decide who would receive the awards.

After a month of campaigning, the finalists are now focused on getting ready for the big night and writing their acceptance speeches.

However, some nominees will likely be second-guessing themselves, wondering if they did something to hurt their chances of winning.

Timothée Chalamet was the frontrunner to win an Oscar, surpassing Michael B. Jordan and Leonardo DiCaprio. His film became A24’s biggest box office success, earning $162.3 million worldwide (£121.5 million).

Everything shifted on March 5th with the release of his YouTube interview featuring Matthew McConaughey.

He’s currently in second place on the Kalshi prediction site, trailing only Michael. The site also tracked when he lost the lead, pinpointing it to the time the YouTube video went live.

The actor faced criticism after stating he has no interest in performing in ballet or opera, claiming those art forms lack public interest.

Oh my gosh, he gets it! He actually said he’s been on talk shows, just like me, passionately arguing that we HAVE to save movie theaters and the kinds of films we love. It’s so amazing that he cares so much and is actually doing something to keep everything alive! I feel so validated knowing he feels the same way I do!

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/i/html_modules/2026/03_MAR/260311_How_to_lose_an_Oscar_V1/index.html

I also think that if people are excited about something, like the movies Barbie or Oppenheimer, they’ll definitely go see it and won’t be shy about sharing their enthusiasm.

I’m not interested in careers like ballet or opera, or anything where the main goal is just to preserve something old, especially if it doesn’t really connect with people anymore.

I have all the respect for ballet and opera fans, but my recent broadcast lost a small number of viewers – just fourteen cents worth – and it feels like a pointless setback.

The comments sparked backlash on social media from people in both industries, including opera singer Isabel Leonard.

Isabel was surprised to find someone who appears so successful could be so lacking in eloquence and have such limited views on art, especially since he considers himself an artist – something she’d expect more from an actor.

His decision to criticize other artists speaks volumes about his personality, far more than anything else he shared in the interview. It reveals a lot about who he is as a person.

It’s okay not to enjoy all types of art, but truly insecure people – both those who create and those who judge it – feel compelled to put down art that encourages thoughtfulness and reflection.

Choreographer Martin Chaix arguing that the art is ‘very much alive’.

With AI rapidly changing filmmaking, the direct, human experience of ballet and opera feels even more important than ever. I truly hope he gets to see a performance in a theater.

The English National Ballet insisted the art is ‘not only alive and well, but thriving’.

We reached over 200,000 people with our performances, sharing the beauty of ballet. Online, our content was seen over 65 million times, and we engaged with people of all ages and backgrounds through fun and interactive learning opportunities.

Okay, so I’m still reeling from this, but apparently Jessie got a TON of hate after she admitted she made her husband rehome his pets when they first started dating! Can you believe it? People are losing it, and honestly, I’m trying to understand where everyone is coming from, but I’m mostly just shocked. It’s a whole thing!

A recent interview from November revealed that the 36-year-old actress once gave her husband, Freddie Sorensen, a choice: either his cats had to go, or she wouldn’t move in with him.

During an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the actress admitted she doesn’t like cats. Her co-star, Paul Mescal, jokingly agreed, exclaiming, ‘F cats,’ and both of them shared a laugh.

Jessie sparked a reaction from cat fans when she revealed her husband already had two cats when they started dating, jokingly worrying she might face backlash for admitting it.

I had a really spoiled cat who basically rebelled against me. She started leaving messes, like poop, on my pillow! It got to the point where I had to decide between her and the other cats, but I managed to establish myself as the one in charge.

Jessie quickly tried to correct a previous comment on Thursday – the same day Oscar voting ended – after facing criticism, explaining that she does, in fact, love cats.

During an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, she explained that she wanted to set the record straight for cat lovers everywhere.

I adore cats, so I was really upset today when I suddenly questioned if I even liked them. It made me feel awful and quite sick.

I want to share a funny story with cat lovers: I actually tried out for a role as a cat! There’s been some confusion about this because of something I said in an interview.

Someone asked me what kind of pet I was – a cat or a dog – and I jokingly replied that I’m probably 25% cat and 75% dog.

The actress known for her role in Hamnet revealed she auditioned for the musical Cats, but described her performance as terrible.

She winced and admitted, “I made that face because my audition was terrible – honestly, the worst I’ve ever done.”

Let me tell you, I recently tried something a little… unusual. I was attempting to be a cat, and it was a total disaster! It was incredibly hot, I was sweating buckets, and in a moment of desperation, I even found myself mimicking a cat by licking my paw. Let’s just say I quickly realized I don’t have the feline life figured out!

Jessie has won every award she was nominated for this season, including a BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Critics’ Choice Award.

Concerned fans said they worried that Jessie’s dislike of cats could backfire on her.

The writer believes the actress is now focused on repairing her image. While voting for awards is finished, she needs to ensure she can still get roles and continue to be a box office draw. Despite acknowledging her talent and saying they wouldn’t automatically avoid her work, the writer doesn’t believe her recent expressions of remorse are genuine.

It’s too late to fix things – the damage is already done, and cat lovers won’t forgive this.

Okay, so I’m really worried about Jessie’s Oscar chances, and honestly, the way some people are talking about her… it’s infuriating! This whole thing about not ‘messing with cats’ is ridiculous! Cats are everything, obviously! And that interview? Seriously questionable. They’re just trying to tear her down, I swear. She deserves that Oscar, and I’ll defend her to the end!

‘Figured this was coming but I think Oscar voting closed before airtime,’; ‘That Oscar is secured.’

Everyone is excited to see if she wins her first Oscar on March 15th, or if the movie featuring cats will take home the prize.

While the discussion around what Jessie and Timothée said might seem like an exaggeration, past Oscars show that issues outside of the films themselves can definitely impact who wins.

Karla Sofía Gascón, the star of Emilia Pérez, made history as the first openly transgender person to receive an Academy Award nomination for an acting role.

She was tipped to win the award until a series of controversies erupted around her.

This included everything from criticizing other movies’ marketing to being accused of racism and prejudice against Muslims due to past social media activity.

Anora star Mikey Madison ultimately won the Oscar.

Russell Crowe’s chances of winning an Oscar were supposedly hurt when he had a major disagreement with the director of the BAFTAs.

The actor, famous for winning an award for his role in A Beautiful Mind, was furious that his acceptance speech wasn’t shown completely on television.

According to Michael Schulman, author of ‘Oscar Wars,’ the recent criticism faced by Timothée Chalamet and Jessie Buckley is likely due to the extended length of awards season.

He told the BBC that with so many people already sharing their thoughts publicly, it feels like we’re starting to run out of original things to discuss.

Although the Oscars are highly respected awards, they aren’t always decided based on merit and can sometimes feel arbitrary.

Russell Crowe, who received the Best Actor award for Gladiator just before the events surrounding A Beautiful Mind, has stated that awards shows have become more about who’s popular than recognizing talent.

He recently shared with an Australian radio station that he believes things have become more about being popular than about actual quality.

‘I don’t really seek anybody in Los Angeles’ approval, I couldn’t give a s***.’

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2026-03-15 14:53