Jessie Buckley has won Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role at the 2026 Actor Awards in Los Angeles for her performance in Hamnet.
The ceremony, previously known as the SAG Awards, is voted on by members of the SAG-AFTRA actors’ union and is closely watched in the run-in to the Oscars, with actors making up the Academy’s largest voting branch.
Taking the stage, an emotional Buckley told the audience: “I have been categorically changed by so many people in this room and beyond.”
“To get to work with my heart in my hand and stand beside my brilliant, daring friends who show me their heart, I mean, what a way to spend a life,” she said.
She also paid tribute to her Hamnet co-star Emily Watson, saying: “I’d like to say a special thank you to my incredible friend and date tonight, Emily Watson.
Emily Watson, Paul Mescal, Chloé Zhao, and Jessie Buckley attend the 32nd Annual Actor Awards
“Your wild imagination, your brave untethered womanhood and your ferocious gentleness have been a guiding light to me.
“You’re the realest of the real. I hope I can continue to offer something meaningful back,” Buckley added.
The night’s top film honour, Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, went to Sinners, sharpening the Oscars conversation with the Academy Awards now just two weeks away.
Accepting on behalf of the ensemble, Delroy Lindo said: “We brought our hearts, we brought our souls, we brought our spirits to this endeavour.”
The cast of Sinners accept the award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Sinners star Michael B. Jordan won Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role, telling the audience: “I’m so honoured and privileged to be nominated in categories with people and actors and humans that I love… This ride has been unbelievable.”
In the supporting categories, Amy Madigan took Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role for Weapons. “I wasn’t expecting this, but it does really mean a lot to me from my peers,” she said.
Sean Penn, who was not at the ceremony, won Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role for One Battle After Another.
Seth Rogen accepts Catherine O’Hara’s posthumous award at the 32nd Annual Actor Awards
On the television side, Apple TV’s Hollywood satire The Studio won three awards, including a posthumous win for Catherine O’Hara, who died in January. Series co-creator Seth Rogen, who accepted on her behalf, said he had been struck by O’Hara’s generosity.
“Something that I’ve just been marvelling at over the last few weeks was really her ability to be generous and kind and gracious, while never ever minimising her own talents,” he said.
Harrison Ford received the Lifetime Achievement Award
The evening also honoured veteran Harrison Ford with a Life Achievement Award. “I feel incredibly grateful for this kind attention. But to be clear, I also am quite humbled,” he said, before joking: “I’m in a room of actors, many of whom are here because they’ve been nominated to receive a prize for their amazing work, while I’m here to receive a prize for being alive.”
Full list of winners
Film
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture – Sinners
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role – Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role – Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role – Amy Madigan, Weapons
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role – Sean Penn, One Battle After Another
Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture – Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Television
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series -The Pitt
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series – The Studio
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series – Keri Russell, The Diplomat
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series – Noah Wyle, The Pitt
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series – Catherine O’Hara, The Studio
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series – Seth Rogen, The Studio
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series – Michelle Williams, Dying for Sex
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series – Owen Cooper, Adolescence
Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series – The Last of Us
Watch: Alan Corr chats to Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal