Stellan Skarsgård might be about to do something the Oscars have literally never done: score a Supporting Actor nomination for a performance in a non-English language film made outside the U.S. Yes, in 2026. Somehow that category has dodged this for nearly 90 years. His movie is good enough to change it.
Why this would be a first
The awards chatter around Sentimental Value (the Norwegian title is Affeksjonsverdi) has Skarsgård penciled in as a legit Best Supporting Actor contender. If he makes the cut, it would be the first time the Academy has nominated a Supporting Actor performance from a non-English language film produced outside the United States.
Quick history check: the Academy introduced Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress back in 1936. The Supporting Actress race has welcomed (and awarded) performances from international, non-English films. Supporting Actor? Zero nominees in that lane, ever. So if the Andor and Chernobyl star lands his first Oscar nod here, it is flat-out historic.
The movie: who, what, why it works
Sentimental Value is directed by Joachim Trier and centers on Gustav (Skarsgård), a veteran film director trying to navigate a frayed relationship with his daughters: Nora (Renate Reinsve) and Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas). Elle Fanning plays Rachel Kemp, a young Hollywood star who drifts into Gustav's orbit and forms an unexpected connection. It is a character piece with bite, and it has been collecting praise since Cannes.
How we got here
The film premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on May 21 and drew a wave of critical acclaim, then kept popping up across the festival circuit through the year. The U.S. release is locked for the holiday corridor, which is exactly where you want to be if you are chasing nominations.
- World premiere: Cannes, May 21, 2025
- Festival run: throughout 2025
- U.S. release: December 26, 2025
- Oscar nominations announced: Thursday, January 22, 2026
The awards angle
Early viewers out of Cannes were loud about Skarsgård's work, and the momentum has not cooled. This would be his first Oscar nomination, which is wild considering the career he has had. More importantly, it would finally crack that oddly specific wall in Supporting Actor the Academy has kept up since 1936. If his name is on that list in January, it is not just a good story for Skarsgård — it is a correction that is long overdue.