2026 Actor Awards nominations snub Cynthia Erivo, Wagner Moura and foreign-language films

2026 Actor Awards nominations exclude Cynthia Erivo, Wagner Moura and all foreign-language performances

The nominations for the 2026 Actor Awards, formerly known as the SAG Awards, have been announced, with notable omissions shaping the awards season conversation.

Cynthia Erivo for Wicked: For Good and Wagner Moura for The Secret Agent were among the most high-profile performers left out, alongside the absence of all foreign-language films and performances from this year’s nominations.

Erivo’s omission marks her second major miss this season for Wicked: For Good, following her exclusion from the Critics Choice Awards. She is nominated at the Golden Globes, although she is not expected to attend.

Erivo received Oscar and SAG nominations last year for her performance as Elphaba, but her absence from the Actor Awards this year has affected perceptions of her position ahead of the upcoming Oscar nominations. Her co-star Ariana Grande did secure a supporting actress nomination for the sequel.

Moura, who won best actor at Cannes for The Secret Agent and has been recognised by the Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards and the New York Film Critics Circle, was also not nominated.

The Actor Awards voting body is largely domestic, compared with the more international composition of the Academy’s actors branch, which may influence outcomes during awards season.

Other film performances overlooked include Adam Sandler for Jay Kelly, despite nominations at earlier ceremonies, as well as George Clooney and the film’s ensemble cast. Dwayne Johnson for The Smashing Machine and the cast of Sentimental Value were also excluded.

On the television side, The Last of Us received a stunt ensemble nomination, but no acting or cast nominations. Sterling K. Brown was nominated for Paradise without an ensemble nod, while Adam Brody earned an individual nomination for Nobody Wants This, though Kristen Bell and the cast were not recognised. The Bear received a comedy ensemble nomination, but Jeremy Allen White was not nominated individually.

The Actor Awards are determined by committees of 2,000 members for film and television, drawn from SAG-AFTRA’s total membership of approximately 22,000.