'One Battle After Another,' 'Sinners' face off at Actor Awards in final pre-Oscars showdown

With two weeks to go until the Academy Awards, the 32nd Actor Awards on Sunday are the final pre-Oscars showdown for "One Battle After Another" and "Sinners."

Formerly known as the Screen Actors Guild Awards, the newly renamed Actor Awards are one of the most closely watched Oscar precursors. Actors make up the largest slice of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and their choices at the Actor Awards often align.

The ceremony, presented by the actors guild SAG-AFTRA, are streaming live on Netflix. Kristen Bell, returning as host, kicked off the show on a light, song-and-dance note despite the war in Iran and entertainment industry upheaval.

Held at the Shine Auditorium in Los Angeles, the Actor Awards marked the biggest Hollywood bash since Paramount reached an agreement to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery for $111 billion. The merger, which awaits regulatory approval, sent shockwaves through Hollywood.

Netflix chief executive Ted Sarandos, whose company lost out to Paramount competing bid, walked the red carpet in jeans.

Before the ceremony began, the award for best stunt ensemble went to a Paramount release: “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning.” The first award handed out during the show went to Keri Russell ("The Diplomat") for best female actor in a drama series.

Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another" comes in the heavy favorite, having won at the Golden Globes, the BAFTAs and at Saturday's Producers Guild Awards. The film comes in with a record seven nominations and is seen as the most likely winner of the night's top award, best ensemble.

The four other nominees for best ensemble are: "Sinners," "Hamnet," "Marty Supreme" and "Frankenstein." If Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" upsets "One Battle After Another" on Sunday night, it would add a late dose of unpredictability to Oscars.

But many of the categories feel up for grabs.

Timothée Chalamet, who last year won best male actor from the actors guild for "A Complete Unknown," had been seen as the favorite for his performance in "Marty Supreme." But the surprise winner at the BAFTAs, Robert Aramayo, showed how hard to pin down the category is. The other nominees are: Michael B. Jordan ("Sinners"), Leonardo DiCaprio ("One Battle After Another"), Ethan Hawke ("Blue Moon") and Jesse Plemons ("Bugonia").

If Chalamet wins, he'd be the first to win the award in back to back years.

Jessie Buckley is the favorite in the best female actor category. The other nominees are: Chase Infiniti (“One Battle After Another”), Rose Byrne (“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”), Kate Hudson (“Song Sung Blue”) and Emma Stone (“Bugonia”).

The supporting awards are especially hard to predict. The best supporting female actor nominees are: Teyana Taylor (“One Battle After Another”), Wunmi Mosaku (“Sinners”), Ariana Grande (“Wicked: For Good”), Amy Madigan (“Weapons”) and Odessa A’zion (“Marty Supreme”). The male nominees are: Sean Penn (“One Battle After Another”), Benicio Del Toro (“One Battle After Another”), Miles Caton (“Sinners”), Jacob Elordi (“Frankenstein”) and Paul Mescal (“Hamnet”).

Harrison Ford is to receive the SAG-AFTRA Life Achievement Award, which will be presented to him by Woody Harrelson.

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