Elle Fanning Turns Heads in Sophisticated Black at 2026 Oscars Nominees Luncheon
Elle Fanning looked like a dream come true as she arrived at the 98th Oscar Nominees Luncheon this Tuesday. The event brought the year’s top film stars to the Academy Museum in Los Angeles for the annual class photo, and the young actress was easily one of the most celebrated figures in the room.
The actress is celebrating her very first Academy Award nomination for her role in the Norwegian drama Sentimental Value. She joined her fellow nominees in a sophisticated ensemble that perfectly captured her signature ethereal style.
Elle Fanning at the 98th Oscars Nominees Luncheon
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The atmosphere at the luncheon was full of excitement as actors from all over the world gathered to toast their achievements. Fanning was seen laughing and posing with her co-stars and other Hollywood heavyweights while the cameras captured every moment.
When the nominations were first announced in late January, Fanning shared a raw and emotional video of herself on a FaceTime call with the film’s director, Joachim Trier. She was visibly in tears as she processed the huge news with her family nearby.
She later expressed her disbelief on social media, writing that I can’t catch my breath and that she was in absolute shock over the honor. She also mentioned how special it was that her mother, grandmother, and sister Dakota were there to scream and hug and cry with her.
In her nominated film Sentimental Value, Fanning plays an American actress named Rachel Kemp who travels to Oslo to deal with a complicated family inheritance. Critics have called her performance the most mature and moving work of her career so far.
The actress has been remarkably busy lately with a wide variety of roles that show off her range. She recently starred in the sci-fi action hit Predator: Badlands, which was released in late 2025 and featured her playing a double role as synthetic twins Thia and Tessa.
Her schedule for 2026 is already packed with several major projects that fans are eagerly anticipating. She is set to star in the satirical thriller Rosebush Pruning, which will make its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival this month.
That movie features an incredible cast including Riley Keough, Callum Turner, Jamie Bell, and Pamela Anderson. It is directed by Karim Aïnouz and follows a wealthy, dysfunctional family as their darkest secrets are slowly pulled apart.
Television fans can also look forward to seeing her lead the upcoming Apple TV+ series Margo’s Got Money Troubles. In this show, Fanning plays a struggling young mother who finds an unconventional way to pay her bills with the help of her eccentric parents, played by Michelle Pfeiffer and Nick Offerman.
On top of her screen roles, she is also fulfilling a long-term goal of working with her sister Dakota Fanning on a film adaptation of the novel The Nightingale. The sisters have talked about wanting to work together for years, and production is finally moving forward.
Fanning will also return to the world of big-budget franchises later this year. She is set to portray a younger version of the legendary Effie Trinket in the prequel film The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.
As the 98th Academy Awards approach on March 15, the excitement surrounding her category continues to grow. Whether she takes home the statue or not, her presence at the luncheon proved she is officially part of Hollywood’s highest circle.
Please share your thoughts on which of Elle Fanning’s upcoming projects you are most excited to see in the comments.