If Timothée Chalamet Wants To Win An Oscar In 2026, He'll Probably Have To Beat One Of His Idols

By Cooper Hood

Published Mar 11, 2025

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Timothée Chalamet is already predicted to be a contender for Best Actor at the Chalamet is predicted to be in the Oscars race once more for his leading performance in Josh Safdie's sports biopic Marty Supreme. He'd already become a three-time nominee in Best Actor if this happens.

Although the movie is not coming out until December, the combination of its late-year release and Chalamet's awards pedigree makes him a contender this early on. It won't be until around the time that Marty Supreme releases that we'll have a better idea of what the Oscars 2026 will look like and who is best positioned to earn nominations. However, there are still some ideas about different films and performances that could still be in the mix. Chalamet is one of those names for Best Actor, but his path to victory would include defeating some Hollywood legends.

Timothée Chalamet Already Has Major Competition To Win Best Actor At The Oscars 2026

DiCaprio, Denzel, The Rock, & Others Could Stand In His Way

It is plausible that Timothée Chalamet can earn another Best Actor Oscar nomination in 2026, but it is not a guarantee. There are several other actors who are also viewed as strong contenders to earn nominations and possibly win. This list includes everyone from major Hollywood stars to rising stars like Chalamet. Leonardo DiCaprio, Denzel Washington, and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson all could enter the Best Actor Oscar race thanks to One Battle After Another, Highest 2 Lowest, and The Smashing Machine, respectively.

Chalamet could also face competition with some younger stars like himself. Jeremy Allen White has the Bruce Springsteen biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere, and Paul Mescal plays William Shakespeare in Hamnet. There's also some additional well-known figures like Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaac, Colin Farrell, Ethan Hawke, Matthew McConaughey, Miles Teller, Brad Pitt, and George Clooney who have movies that could generate awards consideration. All these actors provide plenty of competition for Chalamet as he seeks his first Oscar win. But there's an even bigger name that could further shake up the race.

Daniel Day-Lewis Is Another Possible Best Actor Oscar Nominee In 2026

The 3-Time Oscar Winner Is Coming Out Of Retirement

Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood — Image credit | Paramount

That's right, Daniel Day-Lewis could also figure into the Oscars 2026 Best Actor race. He's coming out of retirement eight years after Phantom Thread to star in his son's directorial debut, Anemone. The initial reporting around the film suggested Daniel Day-Lewis is the lead of the film, which means he would certainly campaign in Best Actor if his performance is worthy. Considering he's already a three-time Oscar winner with six nominations overall, there are reasons to believe he'll be in the Oscar mix once again.

Timothée Chalamet in Dune 2 with Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Cruise and Oscars next to him

"I Want To Be One Of The Greats": Timothée Chalamet Is Well On His Way To Achieving Bold Career Hope Despite Another Oscars Loss

Timothée Chalamet may have lost Best Actor at the Oscars, but he's still on his way to achieving his career hopes of being "one of the greats."

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Facing off against Daniel Day-Lewis at the Oscars is a daunting task for anyone given his history. It's probably even more so for the Marty Supreme star. Timothée Chalamet's SAG speech directly referred to Daniel Day-Lewis as a source of inspiration for him. He said he wants to be on the same level as the three-time Oscar winner at some point in his career. If he wants to do that, he'll need to start winning Oscars. Beating Daniel Day-Lewis at the Oscars 2026, if they're both nominated, would be a big step in that direction.

Will The Oscars 2026 Best Actor Winner Come Down To Timothée Chalamet vs Daniel Day-Lewis?

Timothee Chalamet as Bob Dylan walking down the street in a tuxedo in A Complete Unknown

Ironically, the 2026 Oscars would not be the first time that Timothée Chalamet and Daniel Day-Lewis faced off in Best Actor. They were both nominated in 2018 for their respective performances in Call Me By Your Name and Phantom Thread. Neither won the Oscar that year as they lost to Gary Oldman for Darkest Hour. 2026 could make them awards competitors once again. That could even create a scenario where the Oscar for Best Actor comes down to voters picking between the two stars.

If, and it's a big if, the Oscars 2026 Best Actor race comes down to Timothée Chalamet vs Daniel Day-Lewis, a case could be made for either to win. The point in Chalamet's favor is that he'd be a three-time Oscar nominee at 30 years old who voters could feel has waited in the wings long enough before getting a win. This would also be an opportunity for Hollywood to rally around one of the industry's brightest young stars and further boost his standing with the public by turning him from an Academy Award nominee to an Academy Award winner.

Daniel Day-Lewis could even become the second person with four acting Oscar wins

On the flip side, Daniel Day-Lewis is someone Oscar voters are already very familiar with. They have an established history of rewarding him for his performances. After coming out of retirement again, voters could see Anemone as the last opportunity to award him, whereas Chalamet still has decades of stardom left. Daniel Day-Lewis could even become the second person with four acting Oscar wins. If Hollywood wants to give a perfect ending to Daniel Day-Lewis' career in what could be his final role, winning the Oscar would accomplish that.