Wagner Moura Makes Oscar History as First Brazilian Best Actor Nominee

Actor Wagner Moura picked up the torch for Brazil with a Best Actor nod for his performance in Kleber Mendonca Filho's 'The Secret Agent', becoming the first Brazilian to be nominated in the category, reported Deadline. He is the third Brazilian to be nominated for acting at the Oscars, after Fernanda Torres (I'm Still Here) and Fernanda Montenegro (Central Station) - both won as actresses.

He has been nominated alongside Timothee Chalamet (Marty Supreme), Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another), Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon), and Michael B Jordan (Sinners). Besides, the film has also received nominations for Best International Feature, Best Picture, and the inaugural Casting category.

In another milestone, the film has marked its second nomination for Best Picture after last year's 'I'm Still Here', as per The Hollywood Reporter.

Written and directed by Kleber Mendonca Filho, 'The Secret Agent' is a political thriller set against the backdrop of Brazil's 1977 military dictatorship. Moura, as a hunted political dissident, returns to Recife to reunite with his son, only to find himself forced to live like a spy.

The film also premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, emerging as the most decorated film of the lineup.

Moura, who won the Best Male Actor at the 2026 Golden Globes, in his acceptance speech, said, "The Secret Agent is a film about memory, or the lack of memory, and generational trauma. I think that if trauma can be passed along generations, values can too. So this is to the ones that are sticking with their values in difficult moments."

While the final voting is set to take place from February 26 to March 5, 2026, the 98th Oscars will be held on March 15.

- ANI