Road to the Oscars 2026: Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas on her ‘Sentimental Value’ nomination: ‘Kind of absurd’

March 9, 2026

Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas as Agnes Borg in ‘Sentimental Value.’ (Kasper Tuxen Andersen)

The 98th annual Oscars are less than a week away. Many of the stars of Sentimental Value are nominated at Sunday’s ceremony, including Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, who plays Agnes Borg in Joachim Trier’s Norwegian film.

Lilleaas, who is nominated for best supporting actress, told ABC Audio “just being in a movie that so many people get to see and enjoy” is what is most special about recognition like this. So is connecting with people about the film during its press tour.

“I think that’s what I’m gonna be taking with me through life,” Lilleaas said. “Getting to meet people after they’ve seen it and hear their thoughts and hear how they’re reacting based on their own lives.”

She continued, “People share a lot of personal stuff, and I appreciate it, because when do you ever get to hear those stories and how similar we are across culture? It’s like, we all have family in one way or another and they seem to work in more or less the same way, despite where we live.”

ABC Audio spoke to Lilleaas before she was Oscar-nominated. She said she was centering the film’s impact and focusing less on what it means to get awarded for her work.

“These awards, it’s something that I’ve seen from afar and it’s never been part of how I work or how I live or what I think is ever attainable or is ever a focus even,” Lilleaas said. “So it’s kind of absurd and a little bit outside of the body. It’s something that’s just somebody’s talking about and that I’m trying not to think about so much.”

The Oscars will take place on March 15 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. The show will air live on ABC and will also stream live on Hulu.