The Critics Choice Awards delivered two major surprises last night, with Timothée Chalamet and Jessie Buckley winning Best Actor and Best Actress over presumed frontrunners Leonardo DiCaprio and Emma Stone. These unexpected victories have upended the Oscar race just weeks before Academy Award nominations are announced.
Having covered awards seasons for years, I’ve learned that nothing energizes Hollywood quite like watching established favorites lose to performances that flew beneath the radar. Chalamet’s victory over DiCaprio represents more than an upset—it’s a generational shift. Meanwhile, Buckley’s triumph feels like Hollywood’s best-kept secret finally breaking into the mainstream.
How Chalamet Toppled Hollywood Royalty
Chalamet’s win came as a genuine shock to awards watchers. Going up against DiCaprio in full dramatic mode, Michael B. Jordan’s acclaimed performance, and Ethan Hawke’s transformative work, the 28-year-old actor wasn’t expected to prevail. Yet Critics Choice voters responded to his performance in ways that transcended typical awards calculations.
What resonated with voters was watching Chalamet completely disappear into a role that redefined audience expectations of his abilities. His performance offered something raw and unsettling that lingered long after viewing. At 28, he occupies that sweet spot between emerging talent and established actor that the Academy often rewards.
Buckley’s Breakthrough: The Performance Hollywood Couldn’t Ignore
While attention focused on whether Emma Stone would secure her second Oscar or if Lily Gladstone would make history, Jessie Buckley delivered what Critics Choice voters deemed the year’s most devastating performance. Her victory upended what appeared to be a three-way contest between Stone, Renate Reinsve, and Amanda Seyfried.
Buckley’s win proves particularly significant because her film received minimal theatrical release and operated outside the typical awards season campaign circuit. The Irish actress, known for “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” and “Fargo,” apparently delivered work so visceral that it made other acclaimed performances pale by comparison.
The Ripple Effect: What This Means for Oscar Night
The Critics Choice Awards have become increasingly reliable as Oscar predictors, particularly in acting categories. When they diverge from conventional wisdom, it typically signals turbulence ahead for Academy voters.
Chalamet’s victory throws the Best Actor race into chaos. The presumed narrative of DiCaprio coasting to his seventh Oscar nomination has evaporated. Now the Academy must choose between honoring established Hollywood royalty or recognizing the generational shift Chalamet represents.
Buckley’s win might prove even more consequential. The Best Actress race had been among the season’s most predictable categories, with Stone and Gladstone trading precursor awards. Buckley’s Critics Choice victory suggests multiple contenders exist where previously only two seemed viable.
The Buckley Breakthrough: Why Hollywood’s Best-Kept Secret Just Went Public
If Chalamet’s win was surprising, Buckley’s victory feels like discovering your favorite underground band just topped the charts. While Stone collected trophies throughout the season and Seyfried’s transformation generated industry buzz, Buckley quietly built a performance that made Critics Choice voters reconsider everything.
What makes Buckley’s triumph particularly notable is how it dismantles the carefully constructed narratives we’ve been fed all season. The actress delivered something so viscerally human that it made Renate Reinsve’s acclaimed work appear almost ordinary by comparison. Her film barely registered during awards season, flying so far under the radar that most prognosticators dismissed it as a critics’ darling without real contention potential.
But Critics Choice voters aren’t swayed by marketing budgets or studio campaigns. These voters actually watch everything, and when they encounter something extraordinary, they reward it regardless of magazine covers or industry buzz. Buckley’s win signals what we’ve missed in Oscar discussions: sometimes the most transformative performances occur in films everyone’s been overlooking.
The Oscar Domino Effect: How Tonight Rewrites Tomorrow
Here’s where Academy voters face genuine uncertainty. The Critics Choice Awards have historically served as reliable Oscar bellwethers—when they diverge from expectations, the Academy usually follows within weeks. Remember when everyone assumed Glenn Close had “The Wife” Oscar locked? Critics Choice chose Olivia Colman, and we witnessed one of the most shocking Oscar upsets in recent memory.
Last night’s results didn’t just represent two actors winning trophies—they demolished this year’s carefully constructed Oscar narratives. The “DiCaprio’s overdue for his second Oscar” storyline? Gone. The “it’s Emma Stone’s year to collect her second trophy” momentum? Evaporated. We’re now looking at an Oscar race where presumed frontrunners suddenly play catch-up, and two performers who weren’t in serious contention two weeks ago have become the ones to beat.
| Previous Oscar Frontrunners | Post-Critics Choice Reality | Impact Level |
|---|---|---|
| Leonardo DiCaprio | Chalamet’s momentum surge | Seismic |
| Emma Stone | Buckley’s breakthrough | Game-changing |
| Michael B. Jordan | Still searching for narrative | Wounded |
| Amanda Seyfried | Needs major campaign pivot | Desperate |
The Academy loves compelling stories, and Chalamet and Buckley just provided two of the most engaging narratives in recent memory. The young actor proving he’s more than a pretty face versus the under-the-radar actress finally receiving recognition? That’s Oscar bait disguised as an upset.
What This Actually Means for Movie Lovers
But let’s step back from handicapping and consider what this means for those who simply love great performances. Last night’s upsets aren’t just about trophies—they’re about recognizing that sometimes extraordinary work happens in films that aren’t heavily promoted during awards season. They’re proof that there’s still room for genuine discovery, for performances that sneak up rather than announce themselves with fanfare.
Chalamet and Buckley didn’t just win awards—they reminded us why we fell in love with movies. That feeling when you witness something so raw and transformative that you forget you’re watching a performance? That’s what both apparently delivered, and that’s what Critics Choice voters recognized.
As we approach Oscar nominations, one thing’s clear: all bets are off. The Academy now faces the dilemma of whether to stick with presumed favorites or follow Critics Choice into uncharted territory. After a decade of mostly predictable Oscar races, watching two performers completely upend the narrative feels like the shot of adrenaline Hollywood needed.
The best part? We’re all winners here. Whether you support Chalamet, Buckley, or remain loyal to your original favorites, one thing’s certain—we’re about to witness one of the most unpredictable Oscar seasons in years. In an industry that sometimes feels like it’s running on autopilot, that’s the kind of plot twist that keeps us all coming back for more.