Can Rocky and Oscar share the same stage at next year’s Academy Awards? The possibility is not out of this world.
Puppeteer James Ortiz, who brought the spider-like character Rocky to life as Ryan Gosling’s charming alien friend in “Project Hail Mary,” will be submitted for the Best Supporting Actor role, Variety reported.
The website reported that Ortiz is eligible for Oscar consideration under the Academy’s current rules. His performance as Rocky is also eligible for the Actor Awards, since puppeteers fall under SAG-AFTRA jurisdiction.
Ortiz’s work will not be eligible for a Golden Globe award, according to Variety. For a BAFTA honor, Ortiz would be eligible; the entertainment news outlet reported that it was the only voting body to nominate an animated voice-acting performance. That was in 2001, when Eddie Murphy was tapped in “Shrek” as a Best Supporting Actor nominee.
Rocky, the alien at the center of "Project Hail Mary," is eligible for Best Supporting Actor at the #Oscars.
— Variety (@Variety) April 21, 2026
Puppeteer James Ortiz qualifies for Academy Award consideration in the acting categories under current rules. His performance is also eligible at the SAG Awards, where… pic.twitter.com/oMdkVX9BfY
In “Project Hail Mary,” Gosling, 45, plays a science teacher thrust into outer space who meets Rocky -- a faceless, multi-legged creature from another planet, People reported. The two become friends as they attempt to solve a mysterious substance that was killing Earth’s sun — and put life across the universe at risk.
Ortiz’s character is a key element in the film’s plot -- as an actor, not just as a technical component.
Typically, we talk about puppetry as a technical achievement, and it is,” Ortiz told Variety. “It’s a spectacle. For me as a performer, however, that’s never my entry point. I’m interested in the heart of the character -- what they’re trying to communicate, what they’re feeling underneath all of it.
“When we can take a medium like puppetry, which is often seen as decorative, and bring to life a character with a beating heart in a way that genuinely affects people, then we’re doing something truly meaningful.”
Variety also reported that if Ortiz is not nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category, he could be honored through the Academy’s Special Achievement Award, which debuted in 1972 and has been handed out 15 times since.
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