Amy Madigan Reflects on Her First Oscar Nomination in 40 Years for Weapons: A Journey Through Acting

Amy Madigan on Jan. 11, 2026; Amy Madigan as Aunt Gladys in Weapons.
Credit :

Taylor Hill/FilmMagic/Getty; Quantrell Colbert/Warner Bros.

NEED TO KNOW

• Amy Madigan expresses her astonishment at receiving an Academy Award nomination for her role in Weapons.
• Earlier this month, she secured a Critics’ Choice Award for her performance in the horror film and received nominations at the Golden Globe Awards and The Actor Awards.
• The 2026 Oscars will be broadcast on Sunday, March 15.

Amy Madigan recently awoke to the news of her second career Oscar nomination, marking a significant milestone in her acting journey.

The 75-year-old actress was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 2026 Academy Awards for her portrayal of the menacing Aunt Gladys in last summer’s film Weapons. The announcement was made on January 22.

“I’m just kind of stunned by the whole journey that I’ve been on,” Madigan said following the nomination. “This is just another piece of it that I was not expecting, but I’m very happy and gratified. It reflects on the film Weapons and how people are responding to it. Nothing feels better than that.”

Madigan’s nomination places her alongside Elle Fanning and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas from Sentimental Value, Wunmi Mosaku from Sinners, and Teyana Taylor from One Battle After Another.

Her Oscar nomination follows her recent accolade as Best Supporting Actress for Weapons at the Critics’ Choice Awards. Although Teyana Taylor won the Golden Globe in the same category on January 11, Madigan remains the film’s sole nominee at the Oscars.

She shared a lighthearted moment when discussing the nomination announcement, stating that she was startled awake by her publicists who advised her to “keep her phone on” that morning. “I was woken up in a very unusual, surreal, pleasant way,” she recalled with a laugh.

Amy Madigan as Aunt Gladys in 2025’s Weapons.

Quantrell Colbert/Warner Bros.

Madigan received her first Oscar nomination in 1986 for her role in Twice in a Lifetime. Now, 40 years later, she returns to the Academy Awards alongside her husband, Ed Harris, a four-time nominee himself.

On the significance of this nomination, Madigan reflected, “It means you can have a long career. I’ve had a long career, and I’m continuing to do that.”

She added, “People always say, ‘If you have a dream, follow it.’ Those words hold true, as it is a long and arduous journey, requiring significant effort. When a compelling piece of material comes along, actors are eager to seize it. It’s an exciting process, and that’s why we do what we do,” she concluded.

Ed Harris and Amy Madigan on Jan. 11, 2026.

Jesse Grant/2026GG/Penske Media via Getty

Aside from her Oscar nod, Madigan is also up for an Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role at The Actor Awards, scheduled for March 1, sharing the spotlight with Odessa A’zion, Ariana Grande, Wunmi Mosaku, and Teyana Taylor.

Conan O’Brien will host the 2026 Academy Awards live on March 15 at 7 p.m. ET on ABC, with streaming available on Hulu.