BAFTAs Shake Up Oscar Race as Chalamet Loses and Leading Films Shift

The 79th BAFTAs, held Feb. 22, 2026, reinforced One Battle After Another as the leading Best Picture contender and awarded Paul Thomas Anderson Best Director, keeping that film front and center as the Oscars approach. Timothée Chalamet, widely seen as a favorite for Marty Supreme, lost Best Actor to Robert Armaryo for I Swear, a surprise that also left Leonardo DiCaprio behind.

Armaryo is not eligible for this year’s Academy Awards because I Swear qualifies for the 99th Academy Awards, which complicates Chalamet’s road to an Oscar; he had already won the Critics' Choice and the Golden Globe, and a victory at the Actors Guild Awards would make him the first actor to win back-to-back years after last year’s prize for A Complete Unknown.

Marty Supreme finished the night with zero wins from 11 nominations, tying the record for most losses in a single BAFTA evening.

baftas, oscars, best director, best actor, timothée chalamet, robert armaryo, i swear, marty supreme, leonardo dicaprio, actors guild