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.