One Battle After Another is guaranteed to be a Best Picture nominee this year, with its main cast being seriously considered for nominations in the acting categories at the 2026 Oscars. Previous winners Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn may earn nods for Best Lead and Supporting Actor, respectively, while Teyana Taylor is a likely candidate for Best Supporting Actress.
The One Battle After Another cast member who has confused awards predictions is newcomer Chase Infiniti, who could be thought of as a lead or supporting star. However, Variety now confirms that Infiniti and her team will submit the 24-year-old rising star for consideration for Best Lead Actress for her performance as Willa Ferguson in One Battle After Another.
The 2026 Best Lead Actress race almost certainly also includes Jessie Buckley for Hamnet and Cynthia Erivo for Wicked: For Good, with other possible contenders being Emma Stone, Renate Reinsve, Rose Byrne, Amanda Seyfried, and Jennifer Lawrence. It does not seem likely that Infiniti will emerge as a frontrunner for the win, but her chances of being nominated may be better here than in the supporting category.
This also allows Best Supporting Actress efforts to focus on Taylor and Regina Hall. Lead may traditionally be harder to get, especially for a newcomer such as Infiniti, but Best Supporting Actress is more competitive this year. It is Ariana Grande’s (Wicked: For Good) race to lose, alongside the double performances in both One Battle After Another and Sentimental Value.
One Battle After Another is Infiniti’s feature film debut. Her character, the daughter of an ex-revolutionary who is confronted with her parents’ past, is the centerpiece of the film, even if she is not its traditional lead. The story revolves around the theme of passing the fight against authoritarianism onto the next generation, who are embodied by Willa.
Infiniti does have the screen time to be considered a lead in One Battle After Another, and it’s worth noting that the Academy chose Mikey Madison over Demi Moore at the most recent ceremony for Best Lead Actress, favoring the relatively new performer over the industry veteran. Madison was also helped by starring in the Best Picture winner, Anora.
Infiniti is sharing the lead status with DiCarpio, meaning the credit for carrying the whole movie will probably not fall solely on her. But with One Battle After Another shaping up to be an Oscars giant, she could go much further with her campaign than anyone expects, making for a rare kind of Hollywood debut.
- Release Date
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September 26, 2025
- Runtime
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162 minutes
- Producers
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Adam Somner