The night of the 98th Academy Awards has already begun delivering shocks with its newly introduced Best Casting category. Heading into the ceremony, with a staggering 16 nominations, many expected Sinners to dominate the category, as the film had all the momentum of a clear front-runner. But Oscar night had other plans, pulling off a surprise victory not only for One Battle After Another team but also for the heavily favored Sinners, as Cassandra Kulukundis won at the Oscars 2026.

Here’s a closer look at the historic Best Casting triumph of One Battle After Another against all odds.

Beating out Sinners, the historic first-ever Best Casting Oscar went to Cassandra Kulukundis for One Battle After Another. Sending the crowd into a blaze of applause with her win against all odds, Kulukundis stepped onto the stage to receive the honor, triumphing over fellow nominees Nina Gold (Hamnet), Jennifer Venditti (Marty Supreme), Gabriel Domingues (The Secret Agent), and Francine Maisler (Sinners). While accepting the award, Kulukundis thanked the Academy for finally recognising the craft of casting and dedicated the moment to casting directors who never had the chance to step onto the Oscar stage.

“I dedicate this to the casting directors who never got the chance to get up here,”  she said while receiving the first-ever Best Casting Oscar at the 2026 ceremony.

The win also adds to the growing momentum of One Battle After Another, which entered the night carrying 13 nominations across major categories. The film has already begun making its mark at the ceremony, as Sean Penn secured the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s film.

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Adding to its historic Best Casting win, One Battle After Another proved it was far from finished on Hollywood’s biggest night, as the film soon returned to the spotlight for yet another major Oscar moment.

Presented by Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor, the final moment of the night once again brought One Battle After Another to centre stage as it was revealed as the Best Picture winner at Oscars 2026. As the announcement echoed across the Dolby Theatre, the film’s cast and crew, including director Paul Thomas Anderson, producer Sara Murphy, and cast members Teyana Taylor and Leonardo DiCaprio, quickly flooded the stage, celebrating the movie’s biggest moment of the night as the audience erupted into applause for the sweeping Anderson drama.

Following the victory, Murphy began the acceptance speech, calling the film the “greatest filmmaking experience” of her career and expressing gratitude to the cast and crew who helped bring the project to life. Following her remarks, Anderson addressed the audience, reflecting on what a night it had been and the strong competition before ending his speech with a light-hearted line.

“What a night, you guys. Let’s have a martini.” Anderson said.

Thus, whether it was Cassandra Kulukundis’ historic win for the first-ever Best Casting Oscar or the film’s Best Picture moment, One Battle After Another available to stream on HBO Max HBO, certainly stood out as one of the biggest surprises of the 2026 Oscars.

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Did you expect One Battle After Another’s Cassandra Kulukundis to win the first-ever Best Casting Oscar? Let us know in the comments.