Anna Cathcart, Barbie Ferreira, Mckenna Grace, and Mason Thames are also among the up-and-coming actors taking over the 2026 ceremony.

Chase Stokes, Marsai Martin, Milo Manheim, more adding dose of young Hollywood star power to Oscars (exclusive)

Anna Cathcart, Barbie Ferreira, Mckenna Grace, and Mason Thames are also among the up-and-coming actors taking over the 2026 ceremony.

By Gerrad Hall

Gerrad Hall

Gerrad Hall is an editorial director at **, overseeing movie, awards, and music coverage. He is also host of The Awardist podcast, and has cohosted EW’s live Oscars, Emmys, SAG, and Grammys red carpet shows. He has appeared on Good Morning America, The Talk, Access Hollywood, Extra!, and other talk shows, delivering the latest news on pop culture and entertainment.

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March 12, 2026 3:00 p.m. ET

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(Clockwise from top left): Mason Thames, Auli'i Cravalho, Chase Stokes, Ryan Destiny, Ariana Greenblatt, Charithra Chandran, Milo Manheim, Barbie Ferreira, Anna Cathcart, Mckenna Grace, and Marsai Martin. Credit:

As if the 98th Oscars weren't already going to be filled with an impressive roster of A-list talent, the Academy is also welcoming a batch of up-and-coming stars to this year's ceremony.

** can exclusively reveal that Anna Cathcart (*XO, Kitty*), Charithra Chandran (*One Piece*), Auli'i Cravalho (*Moana*), Ryan Destiny (*The Fire Inside*), Barbie Ferreira (*Mile End Kicks*), Mckenna Grace (*Regretting You*), Ariana Greenblatt (*Barbie*), Milo Manheim (the *Zombies* franchise), Marsai Martin (*Black-ish*), Chase Stokes (*Outer Banks*), and Mason Thames (*How to Train Your Dragon*) will all attend the Oscars.**** The 11 rising stars will hit the red carpet before joining this year's nominees inside the Dolby Theatre for the live telecast, which gets underway at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on ABC and streaming live on Hulu, with host Conan O'Brien.

The Academy previously announced presenters Adrien Brody, Mikey Madison, Kieran Culkin, and Zoe Saldaña, last year's acting winners, as well as Nicole Kidman, Sigourney Weaver, Will Arnett, Javier Bardem, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Anne Hathaway, Paul Mescal, Demi Moore, Kumail Nanjiani, Ewan McGregor, Chase Infiniti, Bill Pullman, and Lewis Pullman.

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***Check out more from EW's *****The Awardist*****, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis, and our podcast diving into all the highlights from the year's best in TV, movies, and more.***

Oscars producers and showrunner Raj Kapoor and executive producer Katy Mullan confirmed in a press conference Wednesday that the cast of *Bridesmaids* — including Maya Rudolph and 2026 Best Actress nominee Rose Byrne — will reunite, as well as Marvel stars including Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Evans, and Channing Tatum. Pedro Pascal, nominees Delroy Lindo and Wagner Moura, and previous Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel will also appear, as well as "an extraterrestrial," though producers didn't elaborate. (Perhaps Pascal with his *Mandalorian* costar Grogu?)

Check out EW's Oscar winner predictions, the results of our annual anonymous ballot, and interviews with nominees on *The Awardist* podcast below.

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