Adolescence’s Owen Cooper, Jessie Buckley and Aimee Lou Wood lead the British and Irish hopes at the 2026 SAG Awards as nominations are announced

by

Owen Cooper, along with the actors from the show Adolescence, are again considered strong contenders for awards representing Britain and Ireland in 2026.

The Actors Awards (formerly known as the Screen Actors Guild Awards) revealed its nominations for 2026 on Wednesday, leading up to the awards ceremony on March 1st.

The hit Netflix series Adolescence has earned nominations for four British actors: Stephen Graham, Erin Doherty, Owen Cooper, and Christine Tremarco.

Aimee Lou Wood, who was born in Manchester and starred in The White Lotus, is nominated for the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series.

Jessie Buckley, known for her role in “Hamnet,” is a strong contender to win the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role. She’s up against Rose Byrne, Kate Hudson, Chase Infinity, and Emma Stone.

As a lifestyle expert, I’m always excited to see talent recognized! I was thrilled to see Paul Mescal, who acted alongside Jessie Buckley in ‘Hamnet,’ nominated for a major award. He’s up against some incredible actors – Benicio Del Toro, Sean Penn, Miles Canton, and Jacob Elordi – but I think he truly shines in the film and deserves the recognition.

As someone who keeps a close eye on all things entertainment, I’m thrilled to see Gary Oldman nominated again! He’s a true awards show pro, and this time he’s up for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his fantastic work in ‘Slow Horses.’ It’s always great to see talent like his recognized.

I’m so excited for the Adolescence cast at the awards! It’s amazing to see so much British talent nominated, especially with so many of them up for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a TV Movie or Limited Series. I’m really rooting for them!

Owen, age 16, will compete against his on-screen father, Stephen, and actors Matthew Rhys and Charlie Humman for the award. Matthew Rhys is nominated for his role in ‘The Beast In Me,’ and Charlie Humman for ‘Monster: The Ed Gein Story’.

If Owen wins on March 1st, he’ll become the youngest person to ever win a major SAG Award, surpassing Timothée Chalamet’s record. Chalamet was 29 when he won Best Actor last year for his performance as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown.

The teenager from Warrington has already achieved similar success, winning an Emmy last year and a Critics Choice Award just last weekend.

Erin Doherty, who starred as the clinical psychologist Briony in Adolescence, and Christine Tremarco, who played Jamie’s mother Manda Miller, are both nominated for a SAG Award in the TV Movie/Limited Series category.

The film One Battle After Another, featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, and Benicio Del Toro, received a leading six nominations on Wednesday, setting a new record.

Over the 31-year history of the Actor Awards (previously called the SAG Awards), no film has ever earned more than five nominations.

The movie received nominations for its cast, stunt team, and individual performances by Leonardo DiCaprio, Chase Infiniti, Teyana Taylor, and supporting actors Penn and Del Toro. There were two nominations for supporting actor.

Usually, to win best picture at the Oscars, a movie needs a SAG ensemble nomination. 

Okay, so I was totally glued to the Netflix YouTube channel this morning! It was amazing – Sean Astin, you know, Samwise Gamgee himself, kicked things off, and then Janelle James from Abbott Elementary and Connor Storrie from Heated Rivalry announced all the nominations for the thirty-second annual awards! I seriously couldn’t have asked for a better presenting duo. I’ve been waiting for this all year!

The Actor Awards will be held in Los Angeles on March 1st and will be available to watch live on Netflix. While last year’s host was Kristen Bell, the host for the 2026 ceremony hasn’t been named yet.

Harrison Ford will receive the 2026 SAG-AFTRA Life Achievement Award.

The Actor Awards, voted on by the 160,000+ members of SAG-AFTRA, offer a good indication of which performances are favored by actors – the largest group within the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences – as awards season progresses.

On November 14, 2025, the awards show recognizing excellent performances in movies and TV officially changed its name from the Screen Actors Guild Awards to simply the Actor Awards.

All other aspects of the event will stay the same, including the award itself, which will continue to be called The Actor.

On November 14th, Jon Brockett, the showrunner and executive producer, and JoBeth Williams, chair of SAG-AFTRA’s Awards Committee, announced they wanted to make it easier for viewers both in the US and around the world to understand what the show is all about.

We celebrate performers in movies and TV. Choosing to specifically recognize achievements in those two areas felt like the most direct and understandable way to move forward with the show.

The logo and award have always been known as ‘The Actor,’ and we felt it was time to formally recognize that with its name.

However, there will be no change to the award show itself, which is still presented by SAG-AFTRA.

The show is simply getting a new name. Everything else will stay the same – it will continue to be a celebration of actors by actors.

They acknowledged that people will likely continue calling the awards the ‘SAG Awards,’ and both past winners and viewers are welcome to do so. They understand it will take a while for everyone to get used to the new name.

We’ve always aimed to make sure every performer we represent is clearly recognized worldwide, and we believe our new name will help us achieve that.

Read More

2026-01-08 14:51