Denzel Washington, Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman: these are some names in Hollywood that immediately bring to mind all-star performances and legendary careers. Some actors are so consistently great at their jobs that they reach an untouchable tier, getting audiences excited for anything they attach their names to. But they weren’t always the stars they are today; they, too, had to start somewhere. At some point or another, even Meryl Streep was an up-and-coming actress, with a few memorable performances under her belt and the potential of Hollywood laid out before her.
There are a handful of young actors today who face that same potential. Even if Hollywood today is a very different animal than it was just a few years ago, any keen observer of pop culture will be interested in scoping out the next big stars, even if it’s only to brag that you knew who they were before they were famous. If you’ve been keeping up with the biggest movies of last year’s awards season—particularly Lady Bird, Get Out, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri—then you will already have seen a couple of the most promising young actors working today. (Surprisingly, Drake’s “Nice For What” was also a spotlight for promising young actresses.)
There’s another reason why paying attention to up-and-coming actors can be interesting: it give you a pulse-reading of how Hollywood is changing, and a potential view of where it is headng. Many of the actors on this list—Gideon Adlon, Katherine Langford, and Yara Shahidi, just to name a few—have constructed their platforms by taking roles that champion marginalized people, that deal with difficult issues like mental health or sexual harassment, and have gone on to give eloquent and nuanced interviews about their work. If we really believe Hollywood can evolve into a healthier, more inclusive version of itself, then we must believe in the power of the young kids in the list below and others like them to be involved in the change. Here are the best up and coming actors in 2018.
Alex Lawther
Age: 23
You probably know him from: End of the F***ing World
You probably know him from: End of the F***ing World
Although you might remember him as Kenny from Black Mirror’s “Shut Up and Dance” episode, or as a young Alan Turing in The Imitation Game, it was Alex Lawther’s role as the self-proclaimed psychopath James in Netflix's surprise comic book adaptation The End of the F***ing World that showed his range. That twisted, slightly surreal Bonnie and Clyde story depended on Lawther’s solid performance of a pretty bizarre character. It looks like he’s sticking to his strengths for his next project, which will see him star alongside Olga Kurylenko (Vampire Academy) in French thriller Les Traducteurs.
Finn Wolfhard
Age: 15
You probably know him from: Stranger Things
You probably know him from: Stranger Things
You know him as Mike from Stranger Things, but Finn Wolfhard isn’t about to rest on his laurels; he also starred in the massive 2017 blockbuster It. He’s also been cast in a trio of exciting projects: The Turning, a modern version of Henry James’s The Turn of the Shrew; Dog Days, where he’ll star alongside Vanessa Hudgens in a tale about Los Angeles residents connected by their dogs; and, finally, The Goldfinch, where he’ll play a young Boris in the film adaptation of the popular Donna Tartt novel by the same name. And of course, he’ll be in the It sequel. Finn, who is probably the busiest 15-year-old alive, is also in the band Calpurnia, who are currently recording the debut EP.
Timothée Chalamet
Age: 22
You probably know him from: Call Me By Your Name
You probably know him from: Call Me By Your Name
Can you call an Oscar-nominated actor “up and coming”? I would argue yes, but only if the actor was 22 and his nomination was for his first major role. Chalamet’s subtle, sensual performance in Call Me By Your Name, one of the best movies of 2017, has already garnered comparisons to Leonardo DiCaprio. Still, though, it is his off-camera personality, showcased in interviews, social media, and one acceptance speech after another, that have helped him shoot to pop culture stardom. He was also interviewed by Frank Ocean, a feat perhaps more impressive than anything he’s done or will ever do in Hollywood.
Lucas Hedges
Age: 21
You probably know him from: Manchester by the Sea
You probably know him from: Manchester by the Sea
It’s almost as though Lucas Hedges is an Oscar good luck charm. With pivotal roles in three Oscar-nominated movies in the past two years—Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Lady Bird, and Manchester by the Sea—Hedges has managed to cement a position within serious cinema relatively early in his career. On the horizon: starring alongside Nicole Kidman in the gay-conversion movie Boy Erased, due out in September 2018, as well as family drama Ben is Back, written and directed by his own father, Peter.
Summer Bishil
Age: 29
You probably know her from: The Magicians
You probably know her from: The Magicians
Summer Bishil has been a promising young actress since she won an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Female Lead for her role opposite Aaron Eckhart in 2007’s Towelhead. Since then, she has faced the racist undertones of Hollywood head-on, telling Time Out in 2009 that she was told she was too “ethnic” for Hollywood. Nowadays, she is proving everyone wrong with her role as Margo in SyFy’s The Magicians, and 2018 looks like a breakout year for Summer’s movie career, too. She’s starring alongside Riley Keough, Andrew Garfield, and Topher Grace in the crime thriller Under the Silver Lake, slated for a summer 2018 release.
Gideon Adlon
Age: 21
You probably know her from: Blockers
You probably know her from: Blockers
The first time you saw Gideon Adlon on a screen was likely during one of her cameos on Louie, which her mom, Pamela, starred in alongside Louis C.K. Gideon’s big break came this year with her role in Kay Cannon’s surprisingly funny progressive sex comedy Blockers. She’s clearly been influenced by her hilarious mom, but a recent interview with The Cut proved she’s also got a stable head on her shoulders, as she was able to discuss the importance of the #MeToo movement for a young female actress like her with grace, while also expertly exploring the nuances that her family, as close friends of sexual harasser Louis C.K., must contend with. Her acting chops will get her the parts, but her maturity will propel her even further.
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Yara Shahidi
Age: 18
You probably know her from: Black-ish
You probably know her from: Black-ish
It says a lot about Yara Shahidi’s role as Zoey Johnson in Black-ish that she has scored her own spinoff, Grown-ish, and it’s so good it’s already been renewed for a second season. Shahidi’s potential for true stardom, though, is displayed in what she does offscreen. She uses her platform to effect positive change and educate both others and herself. This fall, she will attend Harvard University. This year, she launched Eighteenx18, a new initiative aimed at encouraging fellow 18-year-olds to be more politically involved and vote in the 2018 midterm elections.
Storm Reid
Age: 14
You probably know her from: A Wrinkle in Time
You probably know her from: A Wrinkle in Time
Although Storm Reid has been acting since the age of 3, her breakout role came when at just 10 years old when she starred in the Oscar-winning 12 Years a Slave. She followed that impressive feat with something perhaps even better, depending on who you ask: an appearance in Jay Z’s “Family Feud” alongside Beyoncé, Michael B. Jordan, Thandie Newton, and so many more high-profile stars. Her biggest role to date, though, came this year, when she starred in Ava DuVernay’s A Wrinkle in Time. For that project, she spent significant time around Ava as well as industry titans Oprah, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, and Chris Pine.
Kathryn Newton
Age: 21
You probably know her from: Blockers
You probably know her from: Blockers
For a period of time in 2017, if a show or movie called for a teenage girl, Kathryn Newton filled the role. Her resume playing this kind of character in the past year alone includes Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Big Little Lies, Halt and Catch Fire, Lady Bird, and, most recently, Blockers. The catch is that she’s markedly different teenage girls in each, demonstrating an enviable dramatic and comedic range. She’s also prolific: you can catch her in Ben is Back alongside Billboards and Lady Bird co-star Lucas Hedges, the upcoming Pokemon movie, Detective Pikachu, and in this year’s new CW show, Wayward Sisters.
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Bria Vinaite
Age: 24
You probably know her from: The Florida Project
You probably know her from: The Florida Project
Bria Vinaite’s performance in Drake’s favorite movie of 2017 was so compelling, it’s hard to believe filmmaker Sean Baker found her while scrolling through Instagram rather than in a top-notch acting school. (Speaking of Drake, you might have noticed her in the rappers “Nice For What” music video.) Vinaite’s emotional performance was the backbone of the film, which is why it’s exciting to know that she’s following that performance up with a role in The Beach Bum, alongside Zac Efron, Matthew McConaughey, and Isla Fisher.
Brooklynn Prince
Age: 8
You probably know her from: The Florida Project
You probably know her from: The Florida Project
If you walked out of The Florida Project and didn’t immediately make a blood pact to throw money at whatever this adorable and undisputed star did next, you did the whole thing wrong. Although we would support Brooklynn taking her sweet time to grow up away from Hollywood’s prying eyes before she returns to a screen, it’s simply undeniable that she has raw talent. As far as the future goes, Brooklynn has a busy couple of years ahead of her: she’s set to appear alongside Finn Wolfhard in The Turning, and has signed on to appear in The One and Only Ivan, a movie about a gorilla teaming up with an elephant to rediscover their past and escape captivity, also starring heavy hitters Sam Rockwell, Angelina Jolie, and Bryan Cranston.
Odeya Rush
Age: 20
You probably know her from: Lady Bird
You probably know her from: Lady Bird
You’ll just have to get used to it: last year’s Lady Bird was one of the strongest magnets for young, undiscovered talent, which is just one of the thousands of reasons to rewatch that movie immediately. Odeya, originally from Israel, has spun her pivotal role in that Oscar-nominated movies into a slate of new projects that are sure to keep her in the limelight. So far, she’s signed on to Dumplin, a movie about a plus-size teenage girl who enters a beauty pageant, in which she’ll star alongside Jennifer Aniston. She’s also in Spinning Man, the story of a professor known for having affairs with students who is wanted in the disappearance of a young woman, and in the upcoming Goosebumps adaptation.
Letitia Wright
Age: 24
You probably know her from: Black Panther
You probably know her from: Black Panther
For many of us in the U.S., we first saw Letitia Wright in the Black Mirror episode “Black Museum.” She jumped straight from that highly popular show into the highly profitable and even more internationally popular Marvel franchise, stealing the show as Shuri in Black Panther, and securing appearances in at least a couple more Marvel movies, including 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War. Letitia can also count another laurel in her up-and-coming fame wreath, which is her cameo in Drake’s “Nice For What” video, a who’s who of some of the most exciting famous ladies of 2018.
Daniel Kaluuya
Age: 28
You probably know him from: Get Out
You probably know him from: Get Out
Daniel Kaluuya’s career has been marked by a sensibility for knowing which projects to attach himself to. The first time you saw his face on screen was probably in “Fifteen Million Merits,” which remains one of the best Black Mirror episodes to date. That led to his breakout (and Oscar-nominated) role in 2017’s Get Out, followed by his participation in the huge blockbuster hit Black Panther. His public persona also bodes well: he gives consistently intelligent interviews that reveal the rare ability to lead with his growing stardom. Look out for him next in Steve McQueen’s Widows, alongside queens Viola Davis and Carrie Coon.
Barry Keoghan
Age: 25
You probably know him from: Dunkirk
You probably know him from: Dunkirk
Barry Keoghan got his start on a number of Irish TV series, but it was one of his first movie roles, in 2016’s dark, moody Mammal, that put him on the map. He followed that up with a role in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, where he stood out in an ensemble cast full of greats like Tom Hardy and Mark Rylance. Still, Keoghan’s real star power was harnessed with chilling effect in The Killing of a Sacred Deer, a psychological horror movie marked by a scene in which Keoghan eats spaghetti in the creepiest way one can eat such an innocuous food. Based on that scene alone, this 25-year-old is going places.
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Caleb Landry Jones
Age: 28
You probably know him from: Get Out
You probably know him from: Get Out
If nothing else, Caleb Landry Jones knows how to pick roles. His rap sheet is truly impressive: while his early career enjoyed roles in critical hits The Social Network and No Country For Old Men, things truly took off in 2017 with four key appearances in the most talked about TV shows and movies. Besides a key role in David Lynch’s Twin Peaks revival, Jones also appeared in Get Out, The Florida Project, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Even if you pay minimal attention to pop culture, you’ve definitely seen Jones on a screen (probably playing a bizarre weirdo you can’t take your eyes off of). You should be ready for a lot more of that.
Katherine Langford
Age: 22
You probably know her from: 13 Reasons Why
You probably know her from: 13 Reasons Why
This Australian native is making a name for herself in the realm of critically acclaimed, popular teen dramas with roles in Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why and the more recent Love, Simon. She also had a starring role in Shannon Alexander’s debut feature The Misguided, which although a less popular work than her previous projects, helped her build up her Hollywood repertoire and shape it into a promising career.
Anya Taylor-Joy
Age: 22
You probably know her from: Split
You probably know her from: Split
Anya Taylor-Joy is the new horror movie darling. She first captivated audiences in 2015’s The Witch, one of the best low-budget supernatural horror movies in recent memory. She followed that up with M. Night Shyamalan’s Split. Thoroughbreds, which was released earlier this year and has been hailed as a modern Heathers, showcased one of Taylor-Joy’s most unique qualities: an eerie, enchanting calm in the face of death. She’s a delight in creepy roles, and definitely someone to watch for in this genre. You can catch her next in Josh Doone’s X-men horror movie The New Mutantsalongside Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones) and Charlie Heaton (Stranger Things).
Winston Duke
Age: 31
You probably know him from: Black Panther
You probably know him from: Black Panther
As the story goes, Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke, then just two unknown students at Yale, and both immigrants from African countries, watched The Avengerstogether in 2012. The two of them fantasized about a black superhero gracing that screen. Duke even told Entertainment Weekly they wondered if they would “ever be in something like [The Avengers].” Fast forward to 2018, and both of them play pivotal roles in Black Panther, the story of Marvel’s first African superhero, which would go on to become the third highest-earning movie of all time.
Millie Bobby Brown
What other 12-year-old do you know who is so dedicated to her job that she would (happily) shave all her hair off for a TV show’s first season? “I have a job to do, and that is to inspire other girls that your image or exterior part is not what I think is important,” Millie Bobby Brown wrote about the experience of getting a buzzcut for Stranger Things. I mean, come on, right? It’s no wonder she’s also the youngest person ever to be honored as one of TIME’s 100 most influential people. To understand the true star power fuelling this young actress, look no further than her Cardi B-inspired rap performance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Millie is on some next-level sh*t. Besides starring in the upcoming third season of Stranger Things, you can look out for Millie in Godzilla: King of Monsters, out in theaters next year, which also stars Sally Hawkins, Bradley Whitford, Kyle Chandler, and O’Shea Jackson Jr.
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