Christopher Nolan Gives Surprising Best Actor Choice Ahead of 2026 Oscars

Christopher Nolan has revealed his favorite acting performance ahead of the 2026 Oscars.

Who did Christopher Nolan mention as his favorite acting performance ahead of the 2026 Oscars?

Nolan sat down with Benny Safdie for an interview on The Director’s Cut, the Directors Guild of America’s podcast. Nolan and Safdie have collaborated before, with the latter portraying Edward Teller in Oppenheimer. Safdie also has a role in Nolan’s next epic, The Odyssey.

This year, Safdie is the writer and director of The Smashing Machine, a sports biopic starring Dwayne Johnson as MMA pioneer Mark Kerr. Nolan particularly loved Johnson’s “heartbreaking” performance and showered it with significant praise.

“I think it’s an incredible performance,” Nolan told Safide. “I don’t think you’ll see a better performance this year or most other years.”

Nolan is not the only one praising Johnson’s performance. Johnson has received some of the best reviews of his career for his physical and emotional transformation to play Kerr, a fighter who battled addiction and abuse throughout his career. Johnson is expected to be in contention for a best actor nomination at several major awards shows, including the 2026 Oscars.

Nolan also complimented Safdie on his direction.

“Congratulations on the movie,” Nolan said to Safdie. “It’s a really remarkable and radical piece of work that will be understood more and more over time. I’m very proud to know you.”

Based on the HBO documentary of the same name, The Smashing Machine follows Kerr’s life from 1997 to 2000. The film documents his rise in the UFC and Pride, which coincided with rampant drug use and a rocky relationship with his girlfriend Dawn (Emily Blunt).

Released by A24 on October 3, The Smashing Machine opened to $5.9 million domestically, the lowest opening of Johnson’s career. Johnson wrote in an Instagram post that, regardless of the box office result, the film “changed his life.”

Source: Comingsoon.net