Illinois Native Suddenly the Favorite to Win an Oscar

An Illinois native is up for a big award, and believe it or not, this would be the first time she's ever won it.

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From Field of Dreams to Uncle Buck: Remembering Amy Madigan's Hollywood Career

If you watched movies in the 80s, you probably remember Amy Madigan. She played Kevin Costner's wife in Field of Dreams and John Candy's girlfriend in Uncle Buck. But Chicago's own Amy Madigan is way more than just the plus one.

Amy Madigan's Oscar History: A Nomination in 1986, and Now Almost Forty Years Later

Like most Hollywood stories, it doesn't happen overnight. Sure, Madigan played the girlfriend or wife plenty of times, but she also landed some serious roles. Back in 1986, she was up for Best Supporting Actress for Twice in a Lifetime.

Now, almost forty years later, Madigan is back in that same category, just with a slightly different name: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role. This time, she's not the wife or girlfriend, she's the aunt. And not just any aunt, but a seriously creepy, unhinged one.

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Who Is Gladys? Amy Madigan's Chilling Performance in Weapons Explained

In Weapons, Madigan plays Gladys, and honestly, she's almost unrecognizable. When I saw her name in the credits, I had to do a double-take. Gladys is the kind of character horror fans are going to be talking about for years. She was that good.

Turns out, the Academy thought so too. Even though the Oscars usually ignore horror movies, Madigan still scored a nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

2026 Oscars Best Supporting Actress: Can Amy Madigan Beat Teyana Taylor and Wunmi Mosaku?

With the Oscars coming up this weekend, you'd think just getting nominated would be enough. But right now, Madigan is actually the favorite to win, even with big performances from Teyana Taylor in One Battle After Another and Wunmi Mosaku in Sinners.

Gold Derby, the site that predicts Oscar winners, has Madigan with a pretty big lead over Mosaku. Will it actually happen? I have no idea. We'll find out this weekend.