As the Oscar nominations draw near, the spotlight will shine on many well-known names. But let’s move on and take a look at the…
As the Oscar nominations draw near, the spotlight will shine on many well-known names. But let’s move on and take a look at the up-and-comers in Hollywood to watch on screens in the coming years.
Some of our rising stars already had breakout roles in 2018, including Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie of “Leave No Trace” and John David Washington of “BlacKkKlansman.” Celebrity DNA also makes our list of newbies with Washington, who has downplayed the fact that he’s the offspring of the one and only Denzel, and Maya Hawke, daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman. Veteran performers, including Awkwafina (“Crazy Rich Asians”), who’ve been toiling in the industry for years (in her case, as a rapper), also are getting their proper attention, along with the very freshest-faced of newcomers, such as 13-year-old Shahadi Wright Joseph.
Here’s who to keep your eye on now and in the years to come.
Where you know her from: Her rap albums “Yellow Ranger” and “In Fina We Trust,” as Constance in “Oceans 8” and as the wild and wisecracking best friend Peik Lin in “Crazy Rich Asians”
Where you’ll see her this year: A secretive new fantasy drama film called “Paradise Hills” and a Comedy Central TV series called — what else? — “Awkwafina.”
Why she’s a standout: This 29-year-old actress, who was born and raised in New York, has an explosive personality that may have been helped along by her weird list of pre-fame jobs: bodega worker and air- conditioning company employee, among them. What she’s known for now isn’t selling sandwiches, but stealing scenes. In “Oceans 8,” she starred alongside Cate Blanchett, Sandra Bullock and Rihanna. Who was everybody talking about? Awkwafina. In “Crazy Rich Asians,” Constance Wu played the romantic lead. Who did everybody remember? The hilarious best friend, Awkwafina. In 2019, she’s poised to become a comedy powerhouse.
Where you know him from: As the grandson in 2015’s “The Visit” and as Carey Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal’s emotionally struggling teen son in “Wildlife”
Where you’ll see him this year: “Being Gavin,” an Australian film that also stars his dad Jamie
Why he’s a standout: Like Lucas Hedges in “Manchester by the Sea” or Nicholas Hoult in “About a Boy,” Oxenbould is a young actor who excels at listening. For audiences, that quiet contemplation makes the teen with deep pools for eyes totally transfixing.
The 17-year-old Australian showed off his chops last year in Paul Dano’s movie “Wildlife,” in which he outshone co-stars Mulligan and Gyllenhaal as a son who had to pave his own path as his parents’ lives unraveled. He’s one of the youngest actors on our list, but if this extraordinary first major role is any indication, he has many years of walking the red carpet to come.
Where you know him from: “Boy Erased,” “Mary Queen of Scots” and Emma Stone’s kinky boy toy in “The Favourite”
Where you’ll see him this year: “Harriet,” the new Harriet Tubman biopic starring Cynthia Erivo and Janelle Monáe
Why he’s a standout: It’s easy to forget Alwyn is a damn good actor. That’s because his most cited credit tends to be his role as Taylor Swift’s boyfriend. But while engagement rumors swirl, the handsome Brit has had a run of supporting roles in major, acclaimed films — four in 2018 alone. With each passing role the 6-foot-2 actor reveals more personality and sheds some boyishness — sometimes scandalously. In “The Favourite,” Alwyn, 27, has sex scenes with Stone and at one point tells her, “I’ll have you stripped and whipped.” As for what goes on in his life with Swift, whom he began dating in 2017, he refuses to discuss it.
