Halfway Report: Favorite Performances of the Year (So Far)

Although we are only halfway through the year, there have been so many excellent performances already that I felt it’d be worth it to dedicate a whole blog post to the great acting of 2026 that I’ve seen. This post is a companion piece to my other post about my favorite films of the year thus far, which you can read here.

It’s been a particularly strong year for two-handers (movies that specifically revolve around two characters), and it’s been a real treat to see gifted actors relishing the opportunity to play complex parts opposite one another. A few of these films even feel a bit like a play because of how much they are mainly driven by the actors and the dialogue, and that’s something that I always love to see: The melding of art forms. Some of the actors included here are people that I’ve admired for years, while others are people that I’ve only discovered recently. Some of these performances are quite heightened and theatrical, while others are more naturalistic and grounded. I love them all for different reasons, and they have all helped me understand the possibilities of what acting can be in its finest form.

Before we get to the best of the best, I wanted to include some honorable mentions of remarkable performances that definitely made an impression on me:

• Ralph Fiennes & Jack O’Connell in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.
• Alison Oliver in Wuthering Heights.
• Sam Rockwell in Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die.
• Samara Weaving & Kyle Gallner in Carolina Caroline.
• Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada 2.
• And last but not least, Conan O’Brien’s vocal performance as Smarty Pants in Toy Story 5 should make him the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award 😂 He was just sensational.

Without further ado, here are my favorite performances of the year so far, mostly in no particular order:

Michaela Coel & Anne Hathaway in Mother Mary

I emphasized the word mostly because these two performances are certainly my absolute favorites of the year, hands down. Of all the two-handers that this year has offered, this is the duo that I found most affecting and memorable.

Even amongst the various critics who didn’t seem to vibe with this film in the slightest, practically everyone agreed that Michaela Coel is phenomenal in the role of the dressmaker Sam Anselm, and it’s not hard to see why. Not only does she get to deliver the most devastating lines of the film, but she essentially sets the entire tempo and momentum of the narrative. She is the one who is fully in control of the situation, often feeling cold and cruel in her dismissive behavior, but as the nature of her resentment towards Mary is revealed to the audience, it becomes clear that her cruelty is coming from a place of woundedness, not malevolence.

What was more divisive amongst audiences was Anne Hathaway’s performance as the titular character. For most of the film, she appears to be in an incredibly distressed state, like she’s about to break out into tears at any given moment. Some people found this to be an overtly melodramatic acting choice, but I found it to be incredibly powerful, especially as you find out what led her to be so distraught in the first place. What I found most impressive is the way the film allows Hathaway to shift her performance across different time periods. Whenever we see Mother Mary perform in her concert arena, or in a crucial scene set backstage, we see how confident and thankful she used to be at a certain point in her career, how much she was trying to make peace with her overwhelming fame, and we thus feel the drastic despair of her present self all the more. I think it’s an insanely committed performance from Hathaway, the very best she has ever been in a filmography full of commendable work.

Matt Johnson & Jay McCarrol in Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie

It’s funny to talk about performances where the actors are playing fictionalized versions of themselves, as one would assume that there is not much acting required, but the comedic work that Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol do in Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie deserves all the praise in the world.

So many of Johnson’s manic line deliveries are instantly unforgettable, while McCarrol elicits huge laughs solely with a silently deadpan expression. They complement each other perfectly; they strike the perfect tone between cartoonishness and reality, and they both possess the quality that all comedic performances have, which is a complete commitment to the reality of the film. The characters in the film are being dead serious when they enact their ridiculous schemes, and that more than anything is what makes them so funny to watch.

Emily Blunt in Disclosure Day

Certain actors have the ability to pretty much always be reliably good in their roles, regardless of the quality of the actual film. You feel like you’re in safe hands when you watch them perform, because there’s an un undeniable professionalism and a seemingly boundless quality to their acting range. Emily Blunt is one of those actors, and her turn as Margaret Fairchild in Disclosure Day is the best display of her many talents thus far.

She gets to show off her comedic chops in these rapid-fire interactions with people whose minds she can read, she showcases some very moving instances of vulnerability, and she feels entirely believable as someone who has acquired extraterrestrial abilities and who is trying to connect with people mainly through the power of empathy. It would be quite easy for this performance to become woefully over the top and silly, but Blunt imbues the role with so much humanity and warmth that you’ll follow her anywhere.

Ryan Gosling in Project Hail Mary

Another great example of a reliably excellent actor is Ryan Gosling. He elevates every single project that he’s in, and he is arguably the single most charismatic movie star on the planet for a reason. He’s the perfect choice for the character of Ryland Grace, a goofy molecular biologist who is tasked with saving the world and who has to find the courage to do so. For basically the entire first act, Gosling is tasked with carrying the entire film on his shoulders (in a role that is initially not too dissimilar to that of Matt Damon’s role in The Martian), and what’s remarkable is how effortless he makes it all feel, how easy it is for the audience to identify with his character and root for him.

It’s often been said that Gosling can have good chemistry with practically any co-star, and this is certainly true in the case of his dynamic with Rocky (undoubtedly the true star of the picture, thanks in no small part to the work of the puppeteering/vocal work of James Ortiz), as their friendship gradually becomes the stuff of legends.

But what really showcases just how good he is as an actor are the quiet moments, the few beats where he does not have a quippy comeback or a joke to deflate the tension. Look at his eyes in the scene where he’s told at the conference table that he must go out into space, and that he really has no other choice. The utter helplessness that he conveys in that moment is just devastating.

Inde Navarrette in Obsession

If there’s a contender for the most instantly iconic performance of the year, it’s gotta be Inde Navarrette’s truly astonishing turn as Nikki Freeman in Obsession.

Beyond all the great memes and gifs that have already come from this role, what stands out most is just how carefully calibrated this performance is. So much of the film’s power comes from seeing who the real Nikki is in the first twenty minutes, how much of a free spirit she is and how lively she is, and seeing her entire personality get replaced by this increasingly unhinged demonic presence is the film’s biggest source of terror.

Navarrette is so skilled at knowing how to navigate the film’s tricky tone, as she knows exactly when her heightened performance reads as very amusing, and when she should dial it up and become absolutely terrifying. Sometimes she achieves an inexplicable balance between those two tones, and it’s in those moments where you really do feel like you’re watching something special, the kind of performance that will go down in the history books as being a staple of the genre.

It’ll be quite exciting to see what kinds of opportunities Navarrette receives in the years to come, because she is a formidable force of nature in this movie, and for lack of a better word, people have become obsessed with her for a reason.

Chiwetel Ejiofor in Backrooms

This was one of those performances that kind of caught me by surprise in terms of how impactful it was. The surprising part wasn’t that Ejiofor was great, as he’s another one of those reliable actors who always bring his A-game to any role.

What was surprising was that I went into Backrooms thinking that it was going to be a purely sensory experience, the kind of visual horrorshow that wouldn’t allow for a lot of nuanced acting. That’s why it was such a pleasant surprise to see the kind of tragic character arc that Ejiofor gets to perform as the furniture store owner Clark.

Without spoiling anything for those who haven’t seen it, Ejiofor gets to represent all the psychological ideas that the film is dealing with, all while never losing sight of the anger and entitlement that fundamentally drive his character. That balancing act was very impressive to witness, and his complex role was the aspect of the movie that resonated with me the most.

Zendaya in The Drama

Talk about a beloved actor who’s having a huge year. Between The Drama, the final season of Euphoria, The Odyssey, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and Dune: Part Three, it seems like Zendaya has finally achieved her goal of world domination this year, and honestly, all the power to her, she deserves it all.

Given all that adoration and attention though, it would be very easy for Zendaya to exclusively pick likeable roles, characters that allow her charming personality to shine through. But it’s to her credit that she’s not afraid to go for more provocative material that challenges the audience, and her character Emma is precisely the kind of role that under lesser hands could’ve easily been a disaster.

I really do believe that very few actors could achieve the level of sympathy and understanding that Zendaya attains in this film. She’s supported by some excellent actors doing emotionally demanding work as well (namely Robert Pattinson, Alana Haim, Mamoudou Athie, and Hailey Benson Gates), but her role is easily the most crucial piece of the puzzle, and she brings all those complicated nuances to life. How telling is it that most people who watch the film seem to be fully on her side, despite the fact that the film is fully predicated on a truly horrific act that her character was seriously considering. That right there is a testament to her power as an actor.

Ian McKellen in The Christophers

It is such a special joy to see a legendary actor perform some of their most affecting work in the later years of their careers.

Everyone knows that Sir Ian McKellen is one of the great thespians of his generation, as his presence instantly lends a palpable gravitas to the proceedings, and his deep voice is instantly recognizable. But it did seem like in recent years, he’s dedicated most of his life to the theater, his first love, and thus it felt like the last cinematic impressions he made were as his most iconic characters: Gandalf and Magneto.

That’s why it was such a thrill to see him play the arrogant painter Julian Sklar in the underseen gem The Christophers. McKellen brings all the weariness and authority that audiences associate with him, and he subverts those qualities within a wounded soul that is desperately in need of accompaniment. He receives that companionship when he’s accompanied by Michaela Coel in yet another excellent performance, and the revitalized energy that McKellen brings to the film is quite infectious, as you get the sense of an actor who hasn’t had the chance to truly lose himself in a role like this in years.

Rachel McAdams in Send Help

Since this film came out so early in the year, I really hope that people do not forget about this performance, as it is career-best work from Rachel McAdams in a truly wild film that both puts her through the wringer and gives her the chance to have as much fun as possible.

Her character of Linda Liddle (I looooove characters with alliterative names) goes through a major arc through the film, and because the film mostly adopts a campy tone from the beginning, it would be very tempting for an actor in this role to go big right away, under the impression that this is primarily a comedic role.

But what McAdams portrays so effectively is the solitary nature of her character, as well as her realization that getting stranded on a deserted island is pretty much all she ever wanted. She has an expert handle on all the satirical scenes, but she knows when to dial it all back and become a recognizable human being. She is a perfect foil to Dylan O’Brien’s impeccably performed douche bag, as she maintains the audience’s sympathy for the majority of the runtime, and even when her actions become increasingly extreme and harder to forgive, there is still a palpable conflict within viewers in regards to rooting for her desires.

In short, the film would simply not work without her, and it’s mainly because of her mesmerizing performance that the film is so intensely entertaining.

Paul Rudd in Power Ballad

This is another turn that surprised me with its considerable emotional power. I’ve always admired Paul Rudd as a comedian, but it’s not often that I’ve gotten to see his dramatic chops as an actor (other than a very affecting scene in Avengers: Endgame where he reunites with his daughter, and he is truly phenomenal in that scene).

His performance as Rick Power in Power Ballad is the most lived-in work I’ve seen from him, as he's not relying on his typical line deliveries or clownish instincts. He’s playing a musician who has been unfairly mistreated and who is not believed by most of the other characters, including his own wife and daughter. He walks a delicate balance between making his frustration feel relatable and intimidating, and then he expresses a level of emotional maturity that sneaks up on you as a viewer.

I went into this film expecting the kind of feel-good dramedy that I heard it was, and I was frankly shocked by how moving I found the ending of this film. Very few things affect me more than characters coming to terms with a difficult situation and trying to make the best of it, and the sort of bittersweet acceptance that Rudd radiates in the last act was truly something that I didn’t know he was capable of. And speaking of things I didn’t know he was capable of, I didn’t know he could sing like that! Who knew?!