Secret Oscar Voter 3 ballot: Train Dreams,’ Byrne, Jordan

Here in the final stages of the 2026 Oscar season, several Academy Awards voters have revealed their ballots to Gold Derby, telling us who they voted for — and why. We promised to keep their identities confidential and their comments unfiltered. Now that voting has concluded, we will share a few of the no-longer-secret ballots with you. Below are the selections of Voter 3. You can also read the summary of secret Oscar Voter 1 and Voter 2 previously published.

BEST PICTURE: Train Dreams

Let me just say that One Battle After Another wasn’t my favorite film of the year. If I was going to pick one — and I am — it would be Train Dreams, which I found to be a beautiful meditation on life. It’s extremely well-acted, and the cinematography is just gorgeous. The whole film is very captivating and leaves you thinking about your own situation and the world around us. I loved everything about it. I was very taken with Sentimental Value, too. But let’s face it, One Battle is probably going to win, and there’s a lot to love about it. It’s very well-acted and -directed.

BEST DIRECTOR: Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value)

Joachim Trier hit all of the right notes in his directing as far as I’m concerned. From the director POV, he got all the right layers, all the textures, and the best performances out of his actors. There was a nuance to it that I really feel Trier got perfectly. Sentimental Value is such a sensitive film, and in the wrong hands it could have gone very wrong. Fortunately, it was in the right hands. I also thought Ryan Coogler did a terrific job here with Sinners, but I think voters will reward him with the Original Screenplay Oscar. I realize Paul Thomas Anderson is the heavy favorite here, but I’m voting for a major upset with Joachim.

BEST ACTRESS: Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You)

I think Rose Byrne, for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, is my strongest vote of them all. I’ve long believed that Rose is one of the best actresses of our generation. Quite frankly, she’s better than the film. It’s an incredibly raw performance, I think the best thing she’s ever done. She’s just mesmerizing and incredibly powerful. There are a lot of terrific portrayals in the category this time. I also really loved Renate Reinsve for Sentimental Value. She’d be my second choice.

BEST ACTOR: Michael B. Jordan (Sinners)

I think Michael Jordan is overdue to be honored. He should have been nominated for the Black Panther movie, too, and wasn’t. He’s always good, but was especially great in Sinners. He’s great, and the Oscars could use a bit more racial balance in its winners. And I’m just thinking about the fact Jordan portrays twin brothers. He should get extra points for playing two characters in one. That requires a lot of nuance and is extra difficult. I also loved Ethan Hawke, who is overdue for some Oscar love on his fifth nomination. But my first choice is Michael.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas (Sentimental Value)

Inga is getting my vote, even though I know it’s probably impossible for people to try to spell her last name. Talk about a journalistic nightmare. Inga was the yin to the yang of the more boring sister played by Renate Reinsve. She brought Sentimental Value to life. Inga is the one who illuminates everything as Agnes. So she gets my number one vote. I also really thought Teyana Taylor was terrific in One Battle After Another playing the badass role. She’d be my second choice.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein)

This is Jacob Elordi hands down for me. He’s just riveting onscreen. He’s a great monster. The funny thing is, I’m not even a Frankenstein fan as a rule. Yet I liked the film in large part because of the humanity that Elordi brought to it. The film is really well done, and he’s a great monster. That was a role that it seemingly would have been easy for an actor to mail it in. But the way he did it was really distinctive and amazingly powerful. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. I was also glad to see Delroy Lindo get recognized for Sinners. He was great and would be my second choice.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Train Dreams

I give this to Train Dreams hands down because I mean, come on, who can create a script out of a Denis Johnson novella? That couldn’t have been easy, so my hat is off to the writers Clint Bentley and Greg Kewdar for doing it with such panache and engagement. Johnson is such a cerebral writer that you wouldn’t think something so cinematic could emerge from that source material. They’ve written a wonder of a movie that I was just enchanted by. Frankenstein, written by Guillermo del Toro, would be my back-up.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Sinners

I’ve got to give this one to Ryan Coogler for his Sinners screenplay. He’s not going to win for directing, so he should take home this one. It wasn’t easy to craft a powerful, character-driven story in the horror genre — where atmospherics and graphics always trump the performances. But Coogler pulls it off. It’s a really entertaining piece of work with terrific production touches, but that all starts with the words on the page. This script makes the story come to life and never falters. Sentimental Value would be my number two here.