Frankenstein’s Jacob Elordi wins first vital profession appearing honor at Critics Choice Awards
Jacob Elordi had a big night on Sunday as he captured his first major career award at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards for his work in the motion picture Frankenstein.
The Brisbane, Australia native, 28, who played the Creature in the movie, received the honors for Best Supporting Actor at the event in Santa Monica, California.
Elordi admit in his acceptance speech the victory took him by surprise.
‘Bloody hell – I really didn’t plan for it,’ said Elordi, who portrays Nate Jacobs on HBO‘s Euphoria.
The surging actor thanked the feted filmmaker who directed his award-winning turn, Guillermo del Toro.
‘Thank you, Guillermo del Toro,’ Elordi said. ‘I love you. We all love you. You made my dreams when I was 11. I’m so happy to be here.’
Jacob Elordi, 28, had a big night on Sunday as he captured his first major career award at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards for his work in the motion picture Frankenstein
The Brisbane, Australia native, 28, received the honors for Best Supporting Actor at the event in Santa Monica, California
The actor also thanked his collaborators on the movie, such as Tamara Deverell (production designer), Kate Hawley (costume designer) and Mike Hill (prosthetics specialist) for the creative contributions that led to his breakthrough moment Sunday.
Said Elordi: ‘You guys are geniuses. I couldn’t walk around like this in front of a green screen. You guys made that world – so thank you.’
With the career milestone, Elordi edged out a talented field of fellow nominees that included One Battle After Another’s Benicio del Toro, and Sean Penn; Hamnet’s Paul Mescal; Jay Kelly’s Adam Sandler and Sentimental Value’s Stellan Skarsgård.
The film’s director del Toro told E! News last fall about the arduous process the actor endured to step into the role.
‘He took around 10 hours every day and about 42 pieces of makeup, prosthetics,’ del Toro said at the movie’s premiere in LA in October. ‘And then he would have to work … he did it all with grace and patience and love.’
Director del Toro told the outlet how he tried to incorporate the elaborate costume into the way Elordi approached his performance.
‘I told him, “Look, it’s like when a priest is getting dressed, there are many layers to the robes and the ceremonial guard. You have to think, this is your Ceremonial Guard. You’re invoking the Creature.”
The filmmaker called Elordi’s work in his film ‘heartbreaking and beautiful,’ adding, ‘It’s a really naked performance—emotionally so close to innocence that it breaks your heart.’
Elordi edged out a talented field of fellow nominees that included One Battle After Another’s Benicio del Toro, and Sean Penn; Hamnet’s Paul Mescal; Jay Kelly’s Adam Sandler and Sentimental Value’s Stellan Skarsgård
Elordi admit in his acceptance speech the victory took him by surprise
The surging actor thanked the feted filmmaker who directed his award-winning turn, Guillermo del Toro. Pictured in Palm Springs Sunday
Elordi collected the honors as Hollywood is kicked off awards season in high-glam fashion as the 31st annual rendition of the Critics Choice.
Chelsea Handler returns as host for the fourth consecutive year as the star-studded ceremony lights up the Barker Hangar – a glitzy night that regularly signals who’s about to dominate awards season.
Long considered one of the most accurate crystal balls in Hollywood, the Critics Choice Awards have a strong track record of forecasting Oscar glory.
That predictive power was on full display last season, when Anora used its Critics Choice Best Picture win to reassert itself after being shut out at the Golden Globe and SAG Awards, momentum it ultimately carried all the way to the Academy Awards.
Three acting winners, Adrien Brody, Kieran Culkin and Zoe Saldaña, also repeated their Critics Choice victories at the Oscars.
With the Golden Globe Awards not airing until January 11 this year, the Critics Choice Awards step into the spotlight as the first major televised ceremony of 2026, giving studios and contenders a crucial early boost.
Critics Choice Association CEO Joey Berlin called the awards ‘a celebration of the very best in film and television,’ adding that the group’s voters help guide audiences toward standout storytelling each year.
Critics Choice Awards 2026 winners
Film
BEST PICTURE
Bugonia (Focus Features)
Frankenstein (Netflix)
Hamnet (Focus Features)
Jay Kelly (Netflix)
Marty Supreme (A24)
One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.) – WINNER
Sentimental Value (Neon)
Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)
BEST ACTOR
Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme (A24) – WINNER
Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Joel Edgerton – Train Dreams (Netflix)
Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon (Sony Pictures Classics)
Michael B. Jordan – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Wagner Moura – The Secret Agent (Neon)
Timothee Chalamet earned best actor for Marty Supreme as he is seen posing with Kate Hudson
BEST ACTRESS
Jessie Buckley – Hamnet (Focus Features) – WINNER
Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (A24)
Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value (Neon)
Amanda Seyfried – The Testament of Ann Lee (Searchlight Pictures)
Emma Stone – Bugonia (Focus Features)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein (Netflix) – WINNER
Paul Mescal – Hamnet (Focus Features)
Sean Penn – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Adam Sandler – Jay Kelly (Netflix)
Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value (Neon)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Elle Fanning – Sentimental Value (Neon)
Ariana Grande – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value (Neon)
Amy Madigan – Weapons (Warner Bros.) – WINNER
Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Amy Madigan earned Best Supporting Actress for her work in Weapons
BEST YOUNG ACTOR / ACTRESS
Everett Blunck – The Plague (Independent Film Company)
Miles Caton – Sinners (Warner Bros.) – WINNER
Cary Christopher – Weapons (Warner Bros.)
Shannon Mahina Gorman – Rental Family (Searchlight Pictures)
Jacobi Jupe – Hamnet (Focus Features)
Nina Ye – Left-Handed Girl (Netflix)
BEST DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.) – WINNER
Ryan Coogler – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Guillermo del Toro – Frankenstein (Netflix)
Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme (A24)
Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value (Neon)
Chloé Zhao – Hamnet (Focus Features)
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Noah Baumbach, Emily Mortimer – Jay Kelly (Netflix)
Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme (A24)
Ryan Coogler – Sinners (Warner Bros.) – WINNER
Zach Cregger – Weapons (Warner Bros.)
Eva Victor – Sorry, Baby (A24)
Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value (Neon)
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.) – WINNER
Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar – Train Dreams (Netflix)
Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Don Mckellar, Jahye Lee – No Other Choice (Neon)
Guillermo del Toro – Frankenstein (Netflix)
Will Tracy – Bugonia (Focus Features)
Chloé Zhao, Maggie O’Farrell – Hamnet (Focus Features)
Paul Thomas Anderson won big for One Battle After Another
BEST CASTING AND ENSEMBLE
Nina Gold – Hamnet (Focus Features)
Douglas Aibel, Nina Gold – Jay Kelly (Netflix)
Jennifer Venditti – Marty Supreme (A24)
Cassandra Kulukundis – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Francine Maisler – Sinners (Warner Bros.)Tiffany Little Canfield, Bernard Telsey – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures) – WINNER
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Claudio Miranda – F1 (Apple Original Films)
Dan Laustsen – Frankenstein (Netflix)
Łukasz Żal – Hamnet (Focus Features)
Michael Bauman – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Autumn Durald Arkapaw – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Adolpho Veloso – Train Dreams (Netflix) – WINNER
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Kasra Farahani, Jille Azis – The Fantastic Four: First Steps (Marvel Studios)
Tamara Deverell, Shane Vieau – Frankenstein (Netflix) – WINNER
Fiona Crombie, Alice Felton – Hamnet (Focus Features)
Jack Fisk, Adam Willis – Marty Supreme (A24)
Hannah Beachler, Monique Champagne – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Nathan Crowley, Lee Sandales – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)
BEST EDITING
Kirk Baxter – A House of Dynamite (Netflix)
Stephen Mirrione – F1 (Apple Original Films) – WINNER
Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme (A24)
Andy Jurgensen – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Viridiana Lieberman – The Perfect Neighbor (Netflix)
Michael P. Shawver – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Kate Hawley – Frankenstein (Netflix) – WINNER
Malgosia Turzanska – Hamnet (Focus Features)
Lindsay Pugh – Hedda (Amazon MGM Studios)
Colleen Atwood, Christine Cantella – Kiss of the Spider Woman (Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions)
Ruth E. Carter – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Paul Tazewell – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)
BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP
Flora Moody, John Nolan – 28 Years Later (Sony Pictures)
Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel, Cliona Furey – Frankenstein (Netflix) – WINNER
Siân Richards, Ken Diaz, Mike Fontaine, Shunika Terry – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Kazu Hiro, Felix Fox, Mia Neal – The Smashing Machine (A24)
Leo Satkovich, Melizah Wheat, Jason Collins – Weapons (Warner Bros.)
Frances Hannon, Mark Coulier, Laura Blount – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, Daniel Barrett – Avatar: Fire and Ash (20th Century Studios) – WINNER
Ryan Tudhope, Nikeah Forde, Robert Harrington, Nicolas Chevallier, Eric Leven, Edward Price, Keith Dawson –F1 (Apple Original Films)
Dennis Berardi, Ayo Burgess, Ivan Busquets, José Granell – Frankenstein (Netflix)
Alex Wuttke, Ian Lowe, Jeff Sutherland, Kirstin Hall – Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (Paramount Pictures)
Michael Ralla, Espen Nordahl, Guido Wolter, Donnie Dean – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Stephane Ceretti, Enrico Damm, Stéphane Nazé, Guy Williams – Superman (Warner Bros.)
BEST STUNT DESIGN
Stephen Dunlevy, Kyle Gardiner, Jackson Spidell, Jeremy Marinas, Jan Petřina, Domonkos Párdányi, Kinga Kósa-Gavalda – Ballerina (Lionsgate)
Gary Powell, Luciano Bacheta, Craig Dolby – F1 (Apple Original Films)
Wade Eastwood – Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (Paramount Pictures) – WINNER
Brian Machleit – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Andy Gill – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Giedrius Nagys – Warfare (A24)
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Arco (Neon)
Elio (Pixar Animation Studios)
In Your Dreams (Netflix)
KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix) – WINNER
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain (GKIDS)
Zootopia 2 (Walt Disney Animation Studios)
KPop Demon Hunters earned Best Animated Film (Ejae and Mark Sonnenblick are pictured)
BEST COMEDY
The Ballad of Wallis Island (Focus Features)
Eternity (A24)
Friendship (A24)
The Naked Gun (Paramount) – WINNER
The Phoenician Scheme (Focus Features)
Splitsville (Neon)
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
It Was Just an Accident (Neon)
Left-Handed Girl (Netflix)
No Other Choice (Neon)
The Secret Agent (Neon) – WINNER
Sirāt (Neon)
Belén (Amazon MGM Studios)
BEST SONG
“Drive” – Ed Sheeran, John Mayer, Blake Slatkin – F1 (Apple Original Films)
“Golden” – Ejae, Mark Sonnenblick, Ido, 24, Teddy – KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix) – WINNER
“I Lied to You” – Raphael Saadiq, Ludwig Göransson – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
“Clothed by the Sun” – Daniel Blumberg – The Testament of Ann Lee (Searchlight Pictures)
“Train Dreams” – Nick Cave, Bryce Dessner – Train Dreams (Netflix)
“The Girl in the Bubble” – Stephen Schwartz – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)
BEST SCORE
Hans Zimmer – F1 (Apple Original Films)
Alexandre Desplat – Frankenstein (Netflix)
Max Richter – Hamnet (Focus Features)
Daniel Lopatin – Marty Supreme (A24)
Jonny Greenwood – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Ludwig Göransson – Sinners (Warner Bros.) – WINNER
BEST SOUND
Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo, Juan Peralta, Gareth John – F1 (Apple Original Films) – WINNER
Nathan Robitaille, Nelson Ferreira, Christian Cooke, Brad Zoern, Greg Chapman – Frankenstein (Netflix)
Jose Antonio Garcia, Christopher Scarabosio, Tony Villaflor – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Chris Welcker, Benny Burtt, Brandon Proctor, Steve Boeddeker, Felipe Pacheco, David V. Butler – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Laia Casanovas – Sirāt (Neon)
Mitch Low, Glenn Freemantle, Ben Barker, Howard Bargroff, Richard Spooner – Warfare (A24)
Television
BEST DRAMA SERIES
Alien: Earth (FX)
Andor (Disney+)
The Diplomat (Netflix)
Paradise (Hulu)
The Pitt (HBO Max) – WINNER
Pluribus (Apple TV)
Severance (Apple TV)
Task (HBO Max)
Noah Wyle led The Pitt to top honors including Best Actor in a Drama Series
BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Sterling K. Brown – Paradise (Hulu)
Diego Luna – Andor (Disney+)
Mark Ruffalo – Task (HBO Max)
Adam Scott – Severance (Apple TV)
Billy Bob Thornton – Landman (Paramount+)
Noah Wyle – The Pitt (HBO Max) – WINNER
BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Kathy Bates – Matlock (CBS)
Carrie Coon – The Gilded Age (HBO Max)
Britt Lower – Severance (Apple TV)
Bella Ramsey – The Last of Us (HBO Max)
Keri Russell – The Diplomat (Netflix)
Rhea Seehorn – Pluribus (Apple TV) – WINNER
Rhea Seehorn was recognized for her work in Pluribus as she took home Best Actress in a Drama Series
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Patrick Ball – The Pitt (HBO Max)
Billy Crudup – The Morning Show (Apple TV)
Ato Essandoh – The Diplomat (Netflix)
Wood Harris – Forever (Netflix)
Tom Pelphrey – Task (HBO Max)
Tramell Tillman – Severance (Apple TV) – WINNER
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Nicole Beharie – The Morning Show (Apple TV)
Denée Benton – The Gilded Age (HBO Max)
Allison Janney – The Diplomat (Netflix)
Katherine LaNasa – The Pitt (HBO Max) – WINNER
Greta Lee – The Morning Show (Apple TV)
Skye P. Marshall – Matlock (CBS)
BEST COMEDY SERIES
Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Elsbeth (CBS)
Ghosts (CBS)
Hacks (HBO Max)
Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
The Righteous Gemstones (HBO Max)
The Studio (Apple TV) – WINNER
BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Adam Brody – Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
Ted Danson – A Man on the Inside (Netflix)
David Alan Grier – St. Denis Medical (NBC)
Danny McBride – The Righteous Gemstones (HBO Max)
Seth Rogen – The Studio (Apple TV) – WINNER
Alexander Skarsgård – Murderbot (Apple TV)
Seth Rogen earned Best Actor in a Comedy Series for The Studio
BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Kristen Bell – Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
Natasha Lyonne – Poker Face (Peacock)
Rose McIver – Ghosts (CBS)
Edi Patterson – The Righteous Gemstones (HBO Max)
Carrie Preston – Elsbeth (CBS)
Jean Smart – Hacks (HBO Max) – WINNER
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Ike Barinholtz – The Studio (Apple TV) – WINNER
Paul W. Downs – Hacks (HBO Max)
Asher Grodman – Ghosts (CBS)
Oscar Nuñez – The Paper (Peacock)
Chris Perfetti – Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Timothy Simons – Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Danielle Brooks – Peacemaker (HBO Max)
Hannah Einbinder – Hacks (HBO Max)
Janelle James – Abbott Elementary (ABC) – WINNER
Justine Lupe – Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
Ego Nwodim – Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Rebecca Wisocky – Ghosts (CBS)
Janelle James won Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Abbott Elementary
BEST LIMITED SERIES
Adolescence (Netflix) – WINNER
All Her Fault (Peacock)
Chief of War (Apple TV)
Death by Lightning (Netflix)
Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy (Peacock)
Dope Thief (Apple TV)
Dying for Sex (FX on Hulu)
The Girlfriend (Prime Video)
BEST MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (Peacock) – WINNER
Deep Cover (Prime Video)
The Gorge (Apple TV)
Mountainhead (HBO Max)
Nonnas (Netflix)
Summer of ’69 (Hulu)
BEST ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Michael Chernus – Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy (Peacock)
Stephen Graham – Adolescence (Netflix) -WINNER
Brian Tyree Henry – Dope Thief (Apple TV)
Charlie Hunnam – Monster: The Ed Gein Story (Netflix)
Matthew Rhys – The Beast in Me (Netflix)
Michael Shannon – Death by Lightning (Netflix)
BEST ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Jessica Biel – The Better Sister (Prime Video)
Meghann Fahy – Sirens (Netflix)
Sarah Snook – All Her Fault (Peacock) – WINNER
Michelle Williams – Dying for Sex (FX on Hulu)
Robin Wright – The Girlfriend (Prime Video)
Renée Zellweger – Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (Peacock)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Owen Cooper – Adolescence (Netflix) – WINNER
Wagner Moura – Dope Thief (Apple TV)
Nick Offerman – Death by Lightning (Netflix)
Michael Peña – All Her Fault (Peacock)
Ashley Walters – Adolescence (Netflix)
Ramy Youssef – Mountainhead (HBO Max)
Owen Cooper, 16, earned a win for Netflix’s Adolescence
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Erin Doherty – Adolescence (Netflix) – WINNER
Betty Gilpin – Death by Lightning (Netflix)
Marin Ireland – Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy (Peacock)
Sophia Lillis – All Her Fault (Peacock)
Julianne Moore – Sirens (Netflix)
Christine Tremarco – Adolescence (Netflix)
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE SERIES
Acapulco (Apple TV)
Last Samurai Standing (Netflix)
Mussolini: Son of the Century (MUBI)
Red Alert (Paramount+)
Squid Game (Netflix) – WINNER
When No One Sees Us (HBO Max)
BEST ANIMATED SERIES
Bob’s Burgers (Fox)
Harley Quinn (HBO Max)
Long Story Short (Netflix)
Marvel Zombies (Disney+)
South Park (Comedy Central)
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (Disney+)
BEST TALK SHOW
The Daily Show (Comedy Central)
Hot Ones (YouTube)
Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC) – WINNER
Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC)
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (Bravo)
Jimmy Kimmel shook off controversy and took home Best Talk Show
BEST VARIETY SERIES
Conan O’Brien Must Go (HBO Max)
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO Max) – WINNER
Saturday Night Live (NBC)
BEST COMEDY SPECIAL
Brett Goldstein: The Second Best Night of Your Life (HBO Max)
Caleb Hearon: Model Comedian (HBO Max)
Leanne Morgan: Unspeakable Things (Netflix)
Marc Maron: Panicked (HBO Max)
Sarah Silverman: PostMortem (Netflix)
SNL50: The Anniversary Special (NBC) – WINNER
