The Oscars 2026 nominations have been announced. As per the first set of nominations, Emma Stone starrer Bugonia has been nominated in the Adapted Screenplay and Original Score categories. The film saw
Academy Award-winner Emma Stone reunite with Yorgos Lanthimos. It also introduced Aidan Delbis in his breakout Hollywood debut as Don, a troubled young man with a fractured worldview.
Ahead of the film’s release last year, Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos told News18 Showsha how Aidan Delbis gave his riveting performance, blurring the line between hero and villain. For Emma Stone, Delbis formed “the heart of the film,” anchoring the tragedy and poignancy of the drama.
Watching his initial audition tape, Lanthimos and Stone were immediately struck by his authenticity. The actress recalled, “He was brilliant and so interesting and just wonderful. We went, and all had a camera test together, and he just blew everybody away. It’s crazy to think that this is his first film.”
Lanthimos recalled being stunned by Delbis’s performance while filming a late scene, when Michelle (Emma) and Don are offered a rare heart-to-heart. “It’s a very crucial part of the film, where they share this moment, the two of them,” he said.
“Aidan’s performance in that part of the film actually moved me to tears while we were filming it, which I don’t think has ever happened to me while making a film before watching it. It was just so honest and brave,” the filmmaker mentioned.
When Delbis had heard about an open casting call for Bugonia, his previous acting experience had largely amounted to drama class in high school and minor roles in school plays. From the outset, Lanthimos had wanted to cast a novice for the role of Don.
“I always try to include people that haven’t acted before”, he said, “because there’s something very special that happens between seasoned actors and non-professional actors that creates this very particular energy, which I always appreciate and love.”
Distributed by Universal Pictures, Bugonia was released on October 31. The film had received a six-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival. It will now be interesting to see whether this psychological thriller will bag an Oscar!
