John Leguizamo and Inde Navarrette lead Critics Choice Celebración honorees

John Leguizamo, Inde Navarrette and James Ortiz are among the Latino and Hispanic stars getting their flowers at the 2026 Critics Choice Celebración of Cinema & Television.

The Critics Choice Association announced its full slate of honorees on Monday, August 24, with Leguizamo set to receive the Career Achievement Award, Navarrette taking home the Breakthrough Actress Award – Film, and Ortiz earning the Innovator Award. The sixth annual ceremony will be held October 2 at the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills. 

The event recognizes standout Latino and Hispanic talent working both in front of and behind the camera, and this year’s lineup stretches across blockbuster movies, prestige television, independent filmmaking and Broadway-level craft.

John Leguizamo to Receive Critics’ Choice Career Achievement Award

For John Leguizamo, the honor arrives after more than four decades of work across movies, television, theater and comedy.

The Emmy winner, Special Tony Award recipient, and four-time Tony nominee will receive the Career Achievement Award following his latest role in Christopher Nolan‘s The Odyssey. His expansive career also includes Carlito’s Way, Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge!, When They See Us and the Ice Age franchise. 

The award also carries added significance considering how consistently Leguizamo has advocated for greater Latino representation in Hollywood.

In a recent interview discussing representation, Leguizamo said diverse casting reflects “the real world that we live in,” while continuing to call attention to the gap between the size of the U.S. Latino population and its presence in entertainment leadership.

That advocacy has increasingly become part of his work beyond acting. Leguizamo recently released the children’s book Kiki and the Can, a project designed in part to give young Latino readers more opportunities to see themselves represented in books. 

The Critics Choice honor therefore lands at an interesting point in his career. Leguizamo is being recognized not simply for longevity, but for the kind of visibility he has spent years arguing Latino performers deserve.

Inde Navarrette’s Obsession Breakthrough Earns Major Recognition

Inde Navarrette will receive the Breakthrough Actress Award – Film for her performance as Nikki in Focus Features’ Obsession.

According to the Critics Choice Association, Navarrette’s performance helped turn the horror film into a major box-office and cultural success, with the organization reporting a worldwide gross of $495.5 million. 

The recognition caps a dramatic career shift for the 25-year-old actress, whose earlier credits include Superman & Lois and 13 Reasons Why.

Navarrette has been candid about how unexpected the response to Obsession has been. Speaking with ELLE about the film’s success, she admitted, “It’s majorly surprised me,” adding that she was grateful audiences were recognizing the work she put into the performance. 

Her rise looks even more striking considering the career drought she experienced after making the movie. Navarrette revealed in a June interview that she spent roughly a year and a half struggling to land another acting job. “I was auditioning, I was doing everything, just nothing was sticking,” she told Complex, explaining that she walked dogs and streamed to help cover expenses during the slow period. 

Now, Obsession has turned her into one of the year’s major breakout performers. The film also won Best Horror Movie at the 2026 Critics Choice Super Awards, while Navarrette won Best Actress in a Horror Movie. 

Why James Ortiz Is Receiving the Critics Choice Innovator Award

James Ortiz’s recognition may be one of the ceremony’s most intriguing honors.

The actor and master puppeteer will receive the Innovator Award for his work as Rocky in Amazon MGM Studios’ Project Hail Mary, opposite Ryan Gosling. Ortiz performed, operated, and voiced the alien character, blending acting and puppetry into a performance that earned him awards consideration in his own right. 

Ortiz brought extensive theater experience to the project, including puppet design work on Broadway and the Tony-nominated production of The Skin of Our Teeth. His approach to Rocky relied heavily on physical storytelling. Discussing the character earlier this year, Ortiz explained, “It became all about posture and energy.” 

The Puerto Rican-descended artist has also spoken about the surprisingly personal connection between his family history and Project Hail Mary. Ortiz’s father was born in Puerto Rico and moved to Brooklyn as a young child, where he helped translate for his Spanish-speaking mother.

Ortiz told the Los Angeles Times that the experience resonated with Rocky’s storyline because the movie is partly about the struggle to communicate and ultimately be understood. 

Judy Reyes, Oscar Nuñez and More Latino Stars Join 2026 Honorees

Leguizamo, Navarrette and Ortiz are part of a broader group of actors and filmmakers being recognized at this year’s ceremony.

Judy Reyes will receive the Trailblazer Award for her work across film, television and theater, including her current roles in High Potential and Scrubs. Oscar Nuñez will receive the Vanguard Award, with the Critics Choice Association highlighting his work in The Office and The Paper. 

Other 2026 honorees include Rodrigo Teixeira, who will receive the Producer Award for Paper Tiger, while Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, known together as Los Javis, will receive the Director Award for Netflix’s La Bola Negra. 

Aimee Carrero will receive the Supporting Actress Award – Series for Your Friends & Neighbors. Beth de Araújo will be honored with the Breakthrough Director Award for Josephine, and Laysla De Oliveira will receive the Breakthrough Actress Award – Series for Lioness.

Critics Choice Celebración Highlights Latino and Hispanic Storytellers

The ceremony arrives as conversations about Latino and Hispanic representation continue throughout Hollywood, making the range of this year’s honorees particularly notable.

Critics Choice Association member and Celebración co-programmer Clayton Davis addressed that significance in announcing the lineup. “To honor this remarkable class of Latino and Hispanic artists is nothing short of a gift,” Davis said. He added that Latino and Hispanic storytellers are creating from “a place of joy and defiance.”

Davis will host the 2026 Celebración alongside fellow Critics Choice Association member Amanda Salas.