We have seen this film before, in 2025, with Fernanda Torres: she won at Cannes and the Golden Globes, was ignored by the SAG Awards and BAFTA, yet ultimately made it into the five Oscar nominees. Wagner Moura now seems to be following a similar path.

The Brazilian actor has been left off yet another major list. The Secret Agent appeared among BAFTA’s selections in the Film Not in the English Language category, with a real chance of winning — but its leading actor did not. This dissociation — recurring, discreet, and rarely questioned — says more about how the award operates than about the reach of Moura’s performance.

Let us be precise: BAFTA does not automatically exclude actors who do not speak English. There are important precedents. Karla Sofía Gascón was nominated for Emilia Pérez in Spanish; Renate Reinsve was recognized for The Worst Person in the World; Youn Yuh-jung won for Minari in Korean. Before them, Marion Cotillard, Sophia Loren, Penélope Cruz, Benicio del Toro, Michelle Yeoh, and Christoph Waltz also broke the language barrier.

But this is precisely where the pattern becomes clear. These cases are exceptions, not the rule. And in most instances, when BAFTA “opens” space for performances outside English, it does so within a very specific cultural perimeter: almost always European. The triumph of Parasite was historic precisely because it broke that axis. Beyond that, this supposed openness remains selective, calculated, and symbolic.

What is happening to Wagner Moura in 2026 fits perfectly within this logic. The Secret Agent is recognized as a work: it circulates well, gains critical legitimacy, and enters the institutional conversation. There is something particularly revealing in this separation between film and actor. By admitting the work, the award preserves its image of international openness. By barring the performer, it keeps the symbolic power of its main categories intact. It is an elegant way of saying “we see the project,” but not necessarily “we incorporate the artist.” Recognition exists, but it is compartmentalized.

Still, none of these blocks a path to the Oscars, nor does it diminish the quality of the nominees or invalidate the merits of those on the list. Even so, it makes it impossible to treat Moura’s snub as a mere coincidence. When the film is legitimized, and the actor is not, the message is clear: there is an invisible hierarchy between recognizing a work “from the outside” and fully admitting its protagonists into the heart of the awards conversation.

The Secret Agent may well win. And the Oscar list may end up honoring both film and actor with nominations. We will find out on January 22. Until then, we keep watching.