Emily Blunt to submit for Best Supporting Actress in ‘The Smashing Machine’

Additional reporting by Chris Beachum

For her role as Dawn Staples, the wife of MMA fighter Mark Kerr in The Smashing Machine, Emily Blunt will be submitted for awards consideration in the Best Supporting Actress category, Gold Derby has learned.

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The news comes just a few weeks ahead of the release of the gritty sports drama on Oct. 3 and hot off the heels of the film’s premiere at the Venice Film Festival, where Benny Safdie took home the Silver Lion award for directing.

The category is not new for Blunt, who received an Oscar nomination for playing the partner of another biopic’s subject in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and previously made the cut in a good nomination from the Golden Globes for her work in The Devil Wears Prada.

At the moment, Blunt is sitting just outside the top five in the category in 8th place, according to Gold Derby’s Oscar nomination predictions, but the field is tight. Blunt’s percentages put her within striking distance of three potential nominees just ahead of her: Teyana Taylor in One Battle After Another, Amy Madigan in Weapons, and Wunmi Mosaku in Sinners.

Oscars Nominations 2026

Best Picture Best Director Best Actress Best Actor Best Supporting Actress Best Supporting Actor Best Adapted Screenplay Best Original Screenplay Best Cinematography Best Costume Design Best Film Editing Best Makeup and Hairstyling Best Production Design Best Animated Feature

Contender

Odds

Elle Fanning

83.7%

Ariana Grande

77.8%

Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas

59.0%

Gwyneth Paltrow

57.7%

Wunmi Mosaku

36.3%

Teyana Taylor

36.2%

Amy Madigan

35.7%

Emily Blunt

22.2%

Jennifer Lopez

14.3%

10.

Glenn Close

13.0%

11.

Mari Yamamoto

12.6%

12.

Rebecca Ferguson

4.6%

13.

Laura Dern

4.5%

14.

ayo edebiri

Ayo Edebiri

4.5%

15.

Chase Infiniti

3.8%

16.

Kirsten Dunst

3.5%

17.

Emily Watson

3.0%

18.

Regina Hall

2.2%

19.

Hailee Steinfeld

1.9%

20.

Nina Hoss

0.8%

21.

Imogen Poots

0.7%

22.

Zoey Deutch

0.6%

23.

Felicity Jones

0.5%

24.

Samantha Morton

0.4%

25.

Juno Temple

0.4%

26.

Emma Stone

0.4%

27.

Jamie Lee Curtis

0.4%

28.

Margaret Qualley

0.3%

29.

Tilda Swinton

0.3%

30.

Kerry Condon

0.3%

31.

Vicky Krieps

0.3%

32.

Greta Lee

0.3%

33.

Sissy Spacek

0.2%

34.

Regina King

0.2%

35.

Mia Goth

0.2%

36.

Naomi Ackie

0.2%

37.

phoebe-waller-bridge

Phoebe Waller-Bridge

0.1%

38.

kerry washington

Kerry Washington

0.1%

39.

kate-mckinnon

Kate McKinnon

0.1%

40.

Gemma Chan

0.1%

41.

ayo edebiri

Ayo Edebiri

0.1%

42.

Jessica Hecht

0.1%

43.

Radhika Apte

0.1%

44.

Kerry Condon

0.1%

45.

Safia Oakley-Green

0.1%

46.

Karen Gillan

0.1%

47.

Lauren Graham

0.1%

48.

Alana Haim

0.1%

49.

Gaby Hoffmann

0.1%

50.

Alicia Silverstone

0.1%

51.

Odessa A'zion

Odessa A’zion

—

52.

Merritt Wever

—

53.

Katy O’Brian

—

54.

Chloe Sevigny

—

55.

Sandra Oh

—

56.

Keke Palmer

—

57.

Erin Kellyman

—

58.

Ilfenesh Hadera

—

59.

Emily Mortimer

—

60.

Zoe Kravitz

—

61.

Allison Janney

—

See All Predictions

Blunt’s co-star, Dwayne Johnson, is currently positioned more comfortably with his nomination probability. After rave reviews coming out of the early Fall festivals, the former professional wrestler is ranked fourth most likely to receive a nomination for Best Actor, just ahead of Leonardo DiCaprio for Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another.

Oscars Nominations 2026

Contender

Odds

Timothee Chalamet

81.9%

Jeremy Allen White

79.7%

Michael B. Jordan

57.7%

Dwayne Johnson

55.6%

Leonardo DiCaprio

41.4%

Brendan Fraser

38.6%

jesse plemons

Jesse Plemons

28.4%

George Clooney

25.8%

Wagner Moura

22.8%

10.

Daniel Day-Lewis

17.0%

11.

Paul Mescal

13.6%

12.

Ethan Hawke

4.0%

13.

Colin Farrell

3.9%

14.

Channing Tatum

3.4%

15.

hugh-jackman

Hugh Jackman

2.3%

16.

Lee Byung-hun

1.8%

17.

Joel Edgerton

1.5%

18.

Will Arnett

0.8%

19.

dylan o'brien pmc sq

dylan o’brien pmc sq

Dylan O’Brien

0.6%

20.

Denzel Washington

0.4%

21.

Oscar Isaac

0.4%

22.

Brad Pitt

0.4%

23.

Russell Crowe

0.4%

24.

Tom Hiddleston

0.3%

25.

Benicio del Toro

Benicio Del Toro

0.3%

26.

Sergi Lopez

0.3%

27.

Rami Malek

0.3%

28.

Josh O'Connor

Josh O’Connor

0.3%

29.

Tonatiuh

0.2%

30.

Colin Farrell

0.2%

31.

Vahid Mobasseri

0.2%

32.

Guillaume Marbeck

0.2%

33.

Josh Brolin

0.2%

34.

Michael Fassbender

0.2%

35.

Matthew McConaughey

0.1%

36.

Benedict Cumberbatch

0.1%

37.

Miles Teller

0.1%

38.

Austin Butler

0.1%

39.

Joaquin Phoenix

0.1%

40.

Chris Evans

0.1%

41.

Paul Mescal

0.1%

42.

Ben Whishaw

—

43.

Bill Skarsgard

—

44.

Ralph Fiennes

—

45.

Daniel Craig

—

46.

Cooper Hoffman

—

47.

Paul Walter Hauser

—

48.

Seth Rogen

—

49.

Andre Holland

—

50.

Sky Yang

—

See All Predictions

Their director, however, is coming up short in terms of the odds. Benny Sadfie ranked in 15th at the moment, but with plenty of time before nominations voting begins on Jan. 12, 2026, all of these races could see major shifts before then.

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Emily Blunt to submit for Best Supporting Actress in ‘The Smashing Machine’

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