- - “Weapons” Star Amy Madigan Says She 'Really Wasn't Expecting All This' as She Wins Critics Choice Award: 'You Love Gladys!'

Yamillah Hurtado, Brenton BlanchetJanuary 5, 2026 at 3:05 AM

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Amy Madigan wins Best Supporting Actress at the 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards -

Amy Madigan won the 2026 Critics Choice Best Supporting Actress Award

"I thought people would dig Gladys but you love Gladys," she said of her character in Weapons

The actresses nominated at this year's ceremony also included Elle Fanning, Ariana Grande, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Wunmi Mosaku and Teyana Taylor

Amy Madigan is giving props to her fans after winning Best Supporting Actress at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards!

On Sunday, Jan. 4, the Weapons star took home the prize at the the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif., where she reflected on the whirlwind success of the horror film and her character.

"I really wasn't expecting all this because I thought people would like the movie," Madigan, 75, said. "And I thought people would dig Gladys but you love Gladys. I mean, it's crazy!"

She added, "I get makeup tutorials and paintings. I even got one weird thing about how she's a sex icon, also. Which, I didn't go too deep into that one."

Madigan then thanked those who worked alongside her on the project, including "the whole team that created the look," because once they figured out the character's "bangs, we knew we had it," she said.

"I never really knew what it [meant] to thank your fans. Usually I see that with great music people," she added. "But I'm thanking my fans for this, too."

Nominees also included Elle Fanning (Sentimental Value), Ariana Grande (Wicked: For Good), Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas (Sentimental Value), Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners) and Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another).

Quantrell Colbert/Warner Bros.

Amy Madigan as Aunt Gladys in 'Weapons'

Madigan haunted screens everywhere with her performance as the iconic Aunt Gladys in Zach Cregger’s horror film. Weapons depicts a small town clouded with darkness as the mysterious disappearance of 17 children from the same third-grade class is investigated. Madigan’s quirky but terrifying Aunt Gladys quickly captivated audiences.

“It’s really nice because I felt my work is really good in this piece,” Madigan told Entertainment Weekly about the reaction to her Weapons character. “I’ve been doing it a long time, so to get something that’s this gratifying and people like it… it’s fun.”

Her nomination at this year’s Critics Choice Awards marks her first ever for the award show. Weapons also picked up nods in the following categories: Best Young Actor / Actress (Cary Christopher), Best Original Screenplay (Zach Cregger) and Best Hair and Makeup (Leo Satkovich, Melizah Wheat, Jason Collins).

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As for Madigan's fellow nominee, Fanning plays Rachel Kemp, an American actress who desires more serious roles, in Norwegian film Sentimental Value. In the drama, Rachel is cast in critically acclaimed director Gustav’s (played by Stellan Skarsgård) comeback film. The two form an unlikely bond while meeting at a film festival where Rachel was moved by one of Gustav’s earliest films.

"There were a lot of things that I could relate to in the character," Fanning told PEOPLE at the Toronto International Film Festival. "What's beautiful about Joachim and this film in particular [is] it's very personal to him and he allows his cast to add their personal experiences as well, and he's extremely open to that. I think you can feel that in the heartbeat of the movie."

Her consideration for this year’s Critics Choice Awards marked Fanning’s fifth nomination for the award show.

Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

Ariana Grande in 'Wicked: For Good'

Also nominated, Grande appeared as Glinda the Good Witch in Wicked: For Good. In the beloved musical adaptation directed by Jon M. Chu, Grande stars alongside Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba in the tale of good versus evil. “Becoming your Glinda the Good and being asked to join this most wonderful group of human beings on a most creatively and emotionally fulfilling journey was the greatest gift of my life,” Grande wrote of her Wicked experience in a statement shared to Instagram. “I have learned more from my time with Glinda than anyone.”

It marked Grande’s second nomination for a Critics Choice Award in the category of Best Supporting Actress, following her consideration in 2025 for Wicked.

Kasper Tuxen Andersen/Neon

Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas in 'Sentimental Value'

Lilleaas played Agnes, an academic historian and younger sister to actress Nora (played by Renate Reinsve) in the drama Sentimental Value. The film follows a dysfunctional family as two sisters reunite with their estranged father Gustav, played by Skarsgård, who comes back into their lives to offer Nora a role in his new film. Agnes is the peacekeeper of the family as tensions rise between her older sister and their father. It was Lilleaas' first Critics Choice Award nomination.

Warner Bros. Pictures

Wunmi Mosaku in 'Sinners'

Mosaku captivated audiences as Annie, a powerful healer and spiritual guide who helps fight off bloodthirsty vampires in Sinners. In Ryan Coogler’s horror film, Annie is a mother grieving the loss of her child with Michael B. Jordan’s Smoke. Her emotional resilience won critical acclaim, with The Hollywood Reporter crowning Mosaku’s performance one of the best of 2025.

“When I first met Ryan, I had been given the scene with Annie and Smoke at her shop, and I was just completely bowled over by the quality of the writing,” Mosaku told W Magazine. “I couldn’t believe all of it was existing in these seven pages — how he captures the humanity, the grief, and the love of these characters.”

Mosaku’s nomination this year marked her second overall for a Critics Choice Award.

Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures

Teyana Taylor in 'One Battle After Another'

In Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, Taylor played Perfidia Beverly Hills, a former revolutionary who is arrested for a bank heist gone wrong. The nod marked Taylor’s first-ever nomination for a Critics Choice Award.

See PEOPLE's full coverage of the 31st annual Critics Choice Awards Sunday, Jan. 4 as they air live on E! and USA Network at 7 p.m. ET from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif.

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