Chloé Zhao’s heartwrenching drama picked up eight nominations, but none for Mescal's performance as William Shakespeare
By Max Pilley 22nd January 2026
Paul Mescal in 'Hamnet'. CREDIT: Universal Pictures UK
Paul Mescal has failed to pick up an Oscar nomination for his role in Hamnet, and fans of the actor are not happy about it.
- READ MORE: Oscars 2026 nominations – see the full list
The nominations for this year’s Academy Awards were announced in Los Angeles earlier today (January 22), with Sinners picking up a record-breaking 16 nods, ahead of One Battle After Another on 13 and Frankenstein, Marty Supreme and Sentimental Value all clocking up nine.
AdvertisementHamnet, Chloé Zhao’s gruelling study of William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes’ grief for their dead son and the subsequent inspiration behind Hamlet, was also nominated for Best Picture, as well as Best Director, Adapted Screenplay, Casting, Costume Design, Production Design and Original Score, and Best Actress for Jessie Buckley.
Absent from the list was Mescal, who plays Shakespeare in the film, who was up for Supporting Actor, but missed out to Benicio Del Toro, Sean Penn (both One Battle After Another), Delroy Lindo (Sinners), Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein) and Stellan Skarsgard (Sentimental Value).
The Irish actor was nominated in 2023 for Aftersun, but it hasn’t stopped his fans from complaining about his snub this time around. “What is happening?!” wrote one on X. Check out a range of reactions here:
Me @ the #Oscars for nominating Hamnet in multiple categories, but snubbing Paul Mescal for Best Supporting Actor pic.twitter.com/GiGAk3Negc
— Michael King (@MiichaelKing) January 22, 2026
i have to live in a world where paul mescal is not an oscar nominee for hamnet…pic.twitter.com/fYXPOtSOqh
— jennifer check (@wh0rchata) January 22, 2026
Recommendedjacob elordi nom in front of paul mescal pic.twitter.com/BtaNA5viZZ
— witchcraft allegations (@lemonsugarmags) January 22, 2026
was so happy for delroy lindo that i didn’t even realize paul mescal was snubbed pic.twitter.com/mydXdOHwI1
— ella (@leightcnmurray) January 22, 2026
paul mescal should have been nominated for best supporting actor tf pic.twitter.com/ztVuvxLkMA
— isha (@scriptedcore) January 22, 2026
justice for Paul Mescal. 😭 pic.twitter.com/BN2BxIUQ4s
— ky 𖦹 (@rollitodcanela_) January 22, 2026
AdvertisementPaul Mescal and Ariana Grande both being snubbed for Best Supporting at the #Oscars?! What is happening?! pic.twitter.com/pLirtXL9bC
— Michael King (@MiichaelKing) January 22, 2026
Others were less disappointed, with one person writing: “Here’s the thing about Paul Mescal… while i do believe he is capable of being a good actor, he is unable to pull himself away from the tortured, sad boy, emotional porn roles and if that doesn’t change soon, everyone will have had enough.”
Here’s the thing about Paul Mescal… while i do believe he is capable of being a good actor, he is unable to pull himself away from the tortured, sad boy, emotional porn roles and if that doesn’t change soon, everyone will have had enough
— robyn (derogatory) (@typicallyrobyn) January 22, 2026
Paul Mescal in Hamnet was not robbed, please be fucking serious 😭
— uncle gworl (@_uncle_gworl) January 22, 2026
Other snubs from the Oscar nominations include Wicked: For Good and its stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.
NME awarded Hamnet four stars, writing: “Zhao’s direction is never quite naturalistic and occasionally feels heavy-handed: in one scene, we see William considering suicide by the River Thames while reciting Hamlet’s familiar “to be or not to be” soliloquy. But there’s no denying this is a powerful portrait of grief driven by a shattering performance from Buckley, who’s currently frontrunner to win Best Actress at this year’s Oscars. The Academy won’t struggle to find an isolated clip of her technical and emotional brilliance, but Hamnet really needs to be experienced in full. It’s a harrowing reminder that tragedy is stalking all of us and can’t be shouldered alone.”
