Before the 2026 Academy Museum Gala, Naomi Ackie Hadn't Worn Anything Like Her Balenciaga Ballgown

For Naomi Ackie, the 2026 Academy Museum Gala was the "Met Gala of L.A." Ackie made her actual Met Gala debut years ago, but being immersed in the "American side of the industry" still leaves her feeling like a "tiny fish in a very big pond," she tells Marie Claire.

So, to remain "authentically myself" at her first Academy Museum Gala, the British actor reunited with Balenciaga, a brand that "aligns with all of [my] experiences," she says, adding "it's quite odd that some of my experiences are going to galas."

Since boarding the Balenciaga bandwagon last year, the French fashion house has "always felt like a good fit, especially for big red carpet moments" like the Kering Women in Motion Awards and the Cannes Film Festival, both in 2025. "It really does depend on how I feel on the day," she says. "But Balenciaga can inhabit all of the ways that I feel, whether I want a really cool street style [look] or to feel super fancy, like I'm going to a ball."

All three of Ackie's previous Balenciaga picks have been black, but when she wanted to sample "a new color for me," she felt safe in the hands of the loyal label and her stylist, Nicky Yates. "When it comes to a really big fashion event, you can take risks and go big or go home," she says. "It's all in the name of fun, really."

Adding an "opulent jewel tone" to her color palette, Ackie tested the Fashion Week-approved purple trend in a custom Balenciaga ballgown, complete with a bubble-hem bodice and a voluminous, carpet-covering train. Not only did Ackie adore the shade against her skin tone, but she was especially drawn to "the depth of the color."

"I think Balenciaga has this amazing mixture of the very couture, feminine origins, but it also has a really lovely edge now," she says. "It strikes the right balance for me: I love classic shapes and respecting the [tailoring] of the old couture houses, but I also love the modernity of where they're taking Balenciaga."

Styling a silhouette this "dramatic and romantic" also pushed Ackie outside of her comfort zone: With Yates, "our usual style with dresses is columns. It felt like I was still staying true to my innate style, but trying something that's slightly different."

Ackie calls herself a "slight tomboy" at heart, too. "So, this is a real departure from anything I've worn before," she adds. "[The Academy Museum Gala] felt like the right environment to test that out on." There were other glamorous Balenciaga gowns, of course, but Ackie and Yates "knew right away" that they could "build a beautiful image" with this fresh fashion moment. Plus, how could she say no to a dress with pockets?

And she wasn't the only risk-taking celebrity at this year's soirée: Teyana Taylor tested an anatomically-correct Schiaparelli corset and Monica Barbaro showed some skin in a nearly-naked, leopard-print look.

While Ackie certainly isn't wearing red carpet-ready ballgowns as often as, say, jeans and a T-shirt, a recent closet clean out helped her "feel a bit braver" in the dress department. "I only have clothes that I love in my wardrobe, and it's really changed how I see things," she says. "I feel like I found my style, my new style, which is similar to my old one, but with really cool pieces that I love to wear."

Simplifying her off-duty options made "high stakes" fashion affairs like the Academy Museum Gala feel more approachable, too. "Essentially, fashion is self-expression, joy, and art, and at the end of the day, you take it all off," Ackie says. "I just feel like [now], the stakes are very low and [the goal is] to show people a beautiful piece of art and then have a lovely time."

While the rest of the red carpet look challenged Ackie's signature shades and silhouettes, she grounded the newness with on-brand beauty choices. "I really feel so beautiful when I wear canerows," she says, having sported similar cornrow styles at the 2023 Met Gala and the 2026 South by Southwest Film Festival premiere of I Love Boosters.

With the Academy Museum Gala landing in the middle of Ackie's press tour for Clayface, her new psychological horror film, it's no wonder the "woman on the run from Dracula" became the star of her mood board. "Glowy skin and a lot of blush that comes from inside [is a] really fun [way to] paint a picture for a character and see what happens," she says.

For her finishing touches, Ackie wore sparklers from Boucheron, including $26,300 diamond clip-on earrings and a matching five-figure, feather-shaped ring. She waited to select her accessories until after her pre-red carpet ritual, which began with a facial, a bath, and calming music. "I never want anything too hyperactive because I usually get so nervous before a red carpet event," she says. "I need everything to be very relaxing."

Ackie's road to the Academy Museum Gala was anything but relaxing, though: She just attended Spring/Summer 2027 shows from Prada, Schiaparelli, and Zimmermann at Milan and Paris Fashion Week. "Every time [Fashion Month] comes around, I try and soak it all up because it's such a wonderful spectacle to be a part of," she says. "I think it helped prepare me [for the Clayface press tour and the Academy Museum Gala,] especially with the photo taking."

Thanks to the hustle and bustle of Fashion Month, boarding a flight to London right after the Academy Museum Gala didn't feel so daring. Before long, Ackie was back in the "film noir" world of Clayface, posing for photographers in a semi-sheer "gothic" gown from the celebrity-beloved, New York-based designer Colleen Allen.

Ackie also confirmed she's wearing Dilara Findikoglu at the horror film's London premiere, calling the look "a completely different vibe" from her Academy Museum Gala gown. Jenna Ortega and Margot Robbie sourced the Turkish designer for Wednesday and Wuthering Heights, respectively, press tours that shared Ackie's affinity for drama and romance.

This weekend, before the film's theatrical release on Oct. 23, "the Met Gala of L.A." accidentally played a part in Ackie's press tour. "The main goal [for Clayface] was to find really cool architectural pieces, interesting shapes, and something that's a bit of a statement, but that [you] can [also wear] down the street," she says. I'd call the Balenciaga ballgown "architectural." Wouldn't you?

Photographers Maggie Nutley & Ava Ghasiri | Stylist Nicky Yates | Makeup Artist Daniel Martin | Hair Stylist Ursula Stephen