Best Actress: Ranking Every Nominee of the 98th Academy Awards
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
Welcome to another year of the Academy Awards Project here on Films Fatale! We rank all of the nominees in each category every day.
We have reached the last two categories that honour parts of films as opposed to recognizing entire films (well, I will be pairing Best Director with Best Picture, and, while direction is only a part of an entire motion picture or short, I feel like honouring the director usually means honouring the film they have overseen). We started things off with the two supporting acting categories, and so it is time to look at the leads. First off, we have the insanely competitive and stacked Best Actress category (I find that this category is always one to look forward to, to the point that there are around five or ten nominees who don't make the cut due to how competitive it can be). This year is no different, with a few major names missing (like Amanda Seyfried for The Testament of Ann Lee, newcomer Chase Infiniti for One Battle After Another, Jennifer Lawrence for Die My Love, and quite a few others). While these group of candidates are all strong picks, I surprisingly didn't have as hard of a time ranking them as I would have thought. Chances are you may still disagree given, again, the calibre of performances here. Here are your nominees for Best Actress in a Leading Role, ranked from worst to best.
5. Song Sung Blue-Kate Hudson
I will preface this by admitting that I am not the biggest fan of Kate Hudson. The majority of her performances feel similar to one another, and I usually do not leave a film feeling as though she has wowed me. The only time I was left stunned by a performance of hers was her role in Almost Famous twenty-five years ago; the Academy rightfully nominated her. Well, that time has come again with her arresting performance as Claire Sardina in Song Sung Blue: the kind of work that is so strong that it maybe even saves the film that she is in. She starts off as incredibly sweet and charismatic (far more than she usually is) before the major turning point of this biopic takes place. From that point on, Hudson displays a range of emotions, sensations, and ideas that I've never seen her tackle collectively, let alone in one performance. I will say that I was expecting a few of the aforementioned women to have taken the five spot in this category, and I am not too surprised that Hudson is here once Song Sung Blue picked up award season steam, but I think Hudson isn't a bad nomination; I have placed her last because I feel like the other four nominees gave us even more with more complicated films and characters, but Hudson did win me over this time around; I wish she did more work like this.
4. Sentimental Value-Renate Reinsve
Renate Reinsve is an Oscar nominee! The Norwegian star has been a favourite for many fans of international and arthouse cinema for quite a few years, so seeing her here is sublime. I have placed her fourth not because her work was substandard; far from it, Reinsve shines in Sentimental Value as the plagued actor Nora Borg — who is suffering in her personal and professional life and is searching for answers and solace. I do feel like Sentimental Value is a triumph because of all who are involved; Reinsve's performance may be on the shorter end compared to the other nominees (although I wouldn't consider this a supporting role because the film does tether around Nora and her relationship with her estranged father). There are times where Reinsve is not on screen for dozens of minutes, but her work is so strong that I would argue that you feel her presence nonetheless. Reinsve immaculately captures the silent battles of panic attacks, the existential worry of reaching a place in your life and still having questions, and the ambiguous challenge of welcoming a family member — who is essentially a stranger — back into your life. I hope this is not her sole nomination, because Reinsve is one of the best actors working today.
3. Bugonia-Emma Stone
I think it is hilarious that Emma Stone is now a three-time Oscar nominated actor for starring in Yorgos Lanthimos films alone — and a winner, at that; there is no way the Academy would welcome Lanthimos' films with such open arms in the eighties or nineties (Stone is actually a seven-time nominee between the acting and producing/Best Picture categories). It is interesting that Stone was able to make the Best Actress slate for a performance that one could argue is a supporting one (if Stellan Skarsgard is a supporting performance for Sentimental Value, I mean...), but that could be because Stone is sensational in Bugonia as wealthy CEO Michelle Fuller — who is kidnapped and detained for, allegedly, being an alien. On that note, I think Stone's performance — while less of a prioritization than the two roles I have placed above her (justice for Jesse Plemons not getting nominated for this very film; he was brilliant in it) — is two layers of great. The first is your initial watch of Bugonia, where she is extremely difficult to read (but easy to follow); once you know the truth, that second watch is full of all the red flags that Stone had in plain sight. I was worried that such a nuanced and difficult performance would have been overlooked by the Academy, but such was not the case; people wonder why Lanthimos works with Stone so frequently, and the answer is that she is impeccable at her job and pulling off his unorthodox and challenging concepts.
2. If I Had Legs I’d Kick You-Rose Byrne
The underdog story of the year is Rose Byrne in If I Had Legs I'd Kick You (this is a bit strange to say now that it is clear that Byrne certainly has had a horse in this race for months, but I recall a time where people were hoping that the Australian star would finally be recognized for her talent). My least favourite film of the five nominees, I felt like this indie project was all over the place and unsure of what kind of film it wanted to be. However, there is one constant here in the form of Byrne as troubled mother Linda in a film driven by anxiety and stress. While the film flounders, Byrne is sensational throughout the film, picking up the comedic slack where the humour doesn't land, drilling emotional notes home when the film hasn't figured out how to earn them, and giving us context throughout the entire runtime (she is in a vast majority of the film). If I Had Legs had highs and lows, but the one thing that kept me going was watching one of 2025's best performances in the form of Byrne finally getting her damn flowers. I hope this is only the beginning of the Byrne renaissance. I have always liked her and knew she was capable of so much more than she was being handed.
1. Hamnet-Jessie Buckley
On the topic of my favourite actors working today, this includes Jessie Buckley who has been deserving of accolades and recognition for years at this point. I expected great things from her in Hamnet, but I had no idea that she was going to be as exquisite, raw, and moving as she was in this bravura performance. As Agnes Shakespeare (or Anne Hathaway, as many know her as), Buckley is initially quietly fascinating; she comes off as a bit of an outlier but you can see why William Shakespeare is so drawn to her (even with all of the stigmas surrounding her). You get to know her and learn that she is a fascinating spirit; Buckley makes her so without every trying to sell you her charm or mysticism. Buckley lays it all out whenever tragedy strikes; the defeat and jubilation when she feels her newborn is still (only for it to come to life before her eyes); the parental comfort of guiding her sad children when the family hawk dies; the inability to reverse time when she suffers her greatest loss (anyone who has had a loved one die knows that instant confusion after the pain initially hits you is hyper real; Buckley captures this perfectly). When we reach the climactic performance and see a whole range of emotions and thoughts in Agnes' head and gaze, we see Buckley with a generational performance that moves me to tears every single time.
Who I Want To Win: Despite the tough competition and worthiness of the other nominees, I have wanted Jessie Buckley to have an Oscar for years, and I hope that Hamnet is that moment.
Who I Think Will Win: Right now, it appears that Jessie Buckley is the frontrunner, but I would not count out Rose Byrne for If I Had Legs I'd Kick You (she did win a Golden Globe alongside Buckley, after all). However, I am giving Buckley and Hamnet the upper hand just because Hamnet is a major Best Picture contender (Buckley could be the sole win it garners, mind you). I feel like Hamnet has more steam this award season, and the film made a far bigger splash when it came out. However, do not count out a complete promotional push by A24 to try and get Byrne's stellar performance its Oscar trophy (I would also say to look at what the SAG awards dictate and how Byrne's film performs at the Film Independent Spirit Awards).
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.