If the 2018 award season has taught us anything so far, it’s that actors in Hollywood aren’t messing around. With the rise of the Time’s Up movement, spearheaded by Reese Witherspoon and backed by equally powerful women including Kerry Washington, Shonda Rhimes, Natalie Portman, Rashida Jones and Emma Stone, it’s no wonder this year’s up-and-coming young actors and musicians are so outspoken.
Some of these actors we know, and others we’re just getting a taste of. But it’s what’s to come for these actors and musicians that’s exciting — both on-screen and off. For instance, did you know that Finn Wolfhard (of Stranger Things fame) is also a musician and was recently signed to a label? Or that pop-rock artist Brynn Elliott’s music was partly inspired by a Women in Philosophy course she took while studying at Harvard? Or that Alex Lawther, who stars in the Netflix hit The End of the F***ing World, is very outspoken about LGBT representation? No? Then, please, do yourself a favor and read on.
All of these young artists are more than talented: they’re an inspiration.
Auli’i Cravalho
“By no means should you ever limit yourself because of what others think or because of their perceptions of what someone looks like in a certain field.” — Auli’i Cravalho
The very talented actress behind Disney’s smash hit Moana has yet to slow down. In fact, 17-year-old Auli’i Cravalho will hit both TV screens and the silver screen this year. In March, she’ll star in the NBC musical drama series Rise as Lilette Suarez. Currently, though, she’s in the midst of filming Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2. In the meantime, you should definitely rewatch her Oscars performance last year. It’s that good.
Daniel Kaluuya
“There are no rules! There are just no rules! We did what we want, and that’s what I love about this movie — there’s no rules!” — Daniel Kaluuya
Jordan Peele’s Get Out really put Daniel Kaluuya on the map, thanks to his absolutely fantastic performance as Chris. Now with an Oscars nom for Best Lead Actor under his belt, Kaluuya is also set to star in Marvel flick Black Panther (Feb. 16) as K’Wabi, alongside Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan and Lupita Nyong’o.
Brynn Elliott
“My whole life, I have struggled with living in a state of fear about what other people think of me. And this song [‘Might Not Like Me’] really is a reminder to myself to not live in that fear anymore, so in more ways than one, it is empowering to me.” — Brynn Elliott
Leave it to up-and-coming pop-rock artist Brynn Elliott, who attends Harvard University, to take part in the Smart Pop movement — writing complex music but presenting it in a simple, approachable way. “I want there to be some kind of substantive message that is relatable to people,” Elliott says.
Just take her single “Might Not Like Me” as an example; it was inspired by a class she took on women in philosophy and feminism. “I feel that what I’m communicating is what everyone, regardless of what they believe about feminism, can agree on, which is not letting different situations in life dim our light as women,” Elliott said. We can get behind that. Be sure to listen to Elliott’s music on Spotify to hear her version of Smart Pop for yourself.
Alex Lawther
“LGBT stories are important to tell — which is part of a broader problem that we just need more diversity on our screens and in our theaters — and in our government, too — to represent a broader population.” — Alex Lawther
Netflix original The End of the F***ing World was an overnight sensation when it premiered late last year. In this twisted Bonnie and Clyde-esque story, two outcast high school students, James (Alex Lawther) and Alyssa (Jessica Barden), embark on a road trip in search of Alyssa’s real father. It’s Lawther’s portrayal of a self-proclaimed psychopath that truly stood out — and luckily, we have even more to expect from the 22-year-old actor. According to IMDb, Lawther will star in thriller film Les Traducteurs alongside Ukrainian actress Olga Kurylenko, who you might remember as Headmistress Kirova in the 2014 teen flick Vampire Academy.
Lili Reinhart
“The best stuff happens when you take a chance. When you risk something and do the thing that the other people are taking a chance on, on a network kind of level, they will be rewarded. You know, risk-reward.” — Lili Reinhart
Ah, Riverdale: the hit teen show with a ridiculously good-looking cast. And this show would be 21-year-old Lili Reinhart’s biggest role to date, catapulting her into the spotlight. As Reinhart continues her role as Betty Cooper on Riverdale, you can also catch her in the upcoming action/crime drama Galveston alongside Elle Fanning and Ben Foster, out sometime this year. In the meantime, you can follow Reinhart on her super active socials, where she posts tons of pics of her Riverdale costars.
Finn Wolfhard
“It is so frickin’ hard to survive as an artist, period — not just as actors. So, I support everybody who is creative.” — Finn Wolfhard
No doubt about it: Finn Wolfhard is going places. Wolfhard is not only an actor best known for his roles as Mike Wheeler in the Netflix original series Stranger Things and Richie Tozier in It, he’s also a musician, currently in a band called Calpurnia, which recently signed to Royal Mountain Records. At just 15 years old, he’s a busy guy, not only in the midst of recording the band’s debut EP but also starring in the drama horror flick The Turning (alongside Mackenzie Davis, who you might’ve seen in Blade Runner 2049) and Dog Days, a drama that also stars Vanessa Hudgens. See you in the venues and on the big screen, kid.
Nick Robinson
“I’m done living in a world where I don’t get to be who I am. I deserve a great love story, and I want someone to share it with.” — Nick Robinson in the Love, Simon trailerYou likely saw him first in Jurassic World with Chris Pratt, or maybe you watched him opposite Amandla Stenberg in the 2017 screen adaption of Nicola Yoon’s YA novel Everything Everything. But it’s Nick Robinson’s role in Love, Simon (out in theaters March 16 and based on the book Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli) that’s really putting him on the map. The film is a special one, a coming-of-age story centered on Simon Spier (played by 22-year-old Robinson), who he hasn’t told his family or friends that he’s gay.
Timothe?e Chalamet
“Now that my foot is in the door, I’m locked and loaded. I’m focused.” — Timothée ChalametAnother Oscar-nominated young actor! Nominated for his role in Call Me by Your Name, 22-year-old Timothée Chalamet is also the youngest Best Actor nominee in almost 80 years. In the film, an adaptation of the novel by André Aciman, Chalamet plays Ello, a 17-year-old, who engages in a relationship with a 24-year-old man. But this isn’t the only Oscar-nominated film Chalamet’s involved in (Call Me by Your Name is also nominated for Best Picture); he plays Kyle Scheible in Lady Bird, a film nominated for Best Picture, Best Actress in a Leading Role (Saoirse Ronan), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Laurie Metcalf), Best Director (Greta Gerwig) and Best Original Screenplay (Gerwig). Clearly, Chalamet’s in great company.
Summer Bishil
“I didn’t know there would be a place for me in Hollywood. I didn’t really see how I was ever going to be a working actor. I was dropped from a management company. They were like, ‘We just don’t know if there’s a place for you in Hollywood. We don’t know what to do with you. You’re so ethnic.'” — Summer Bishil
Clearly, there’s a place in Hollywood for Summer Bishil. If you’ve been watching SyFy’s The Magicians, which follows a group of 20-somethings at a secret university specializing in — you guessed it — magic, then you know exactly who Bishil is. Likely most recognizable as her role as Margo in the series, Bishil has a busy 2018 ahead of her. You’ll spot the 27-year-old actress in crime thriller Under the Silver Lake, starring Riley Keough, Andrew Garfield and Topher Grace. And this isn’t the first time Bishil has made her way onto an upcoming actor list: Variety included her in its 10 Actors to Watch list in 2007, following her performance in Towelhead (opposite Aaron Eckhart), which garnered her an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Female Lead.
Jacob Tremblay
“I like writing stuff, because when I grow up, I’m going to be a scriptwriter and a director… but I don’t think I should tell you any [of my ideas] because I don’t want some Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, J.J. Abrams to come and make millions of dollars off of my ideas.” — Jacob TremblayWho could forget Jacob Tremblay as the lovable, imaginative Jack Newsome in 2015’s screen adaptation of Room? His performance received much acclaim, and he took home a Critics’ Choice Award for Best Young Actor/Actress in 2015. (And if you haven’t heard his speech, please do yourself a favor and watch.) Since his win, 11-year-old Tremblay has been in plenty of TV shows and films. Most recently, he’s starring in Wonder as August Pullman, a boy with a rare medical facial deformity who enters the fifth grade.
Yara Shahidi
“I want to see somebody who looks like me as the doctor and the criminal and the successful businessperson and the woman barely making a living. I want to see the spectrum.” — Yara ShahidiYou know her as Zoey on Black-ish and Grown-ish, but 17-year-old Yara Shahidi is so much more than an actress. We’ll let Girl Meets World star Rowan Blanchard explain: “Yara is proof that teenagers have so much more power than we are capable of digesting and that our voices actually do change things,” Blanchard says in an interview with Teen Vogue in 2016. Shahidi is very vocal about race representation, empowering young girls and even politics. Remember when she blasted Trump’s travel ban? Shahidi is someone all girls — and women — can look up to. We sure do.
Storm Reid
“It’s just surreal because I get to empower other little African-American girls around the world and say that you can be a superhero and you rock and you can conquer the world and you are beautiful just the way you are and your flaws are nothing and you’re awesome.” — Storm ReidStorm Reid got her start in film in one of the most impressive ways: starring alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor, Paul Giamatti, Brad Pitt and Michael Fassbender in the Academy Award-winning film 12 Years a Slave. Five years later, at just 14 years old, she’s hitting the big screen with yet another impressive lineup of influential actors — in the film A Wrinkle in Time, starring Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling and many others. But that’s not even all! In case you missed it, Reid was also in Jay-Z’s music video for “Family Feud.” If her already impressive résumé is any indication, we can expect to see Reid in more amazing projects in the near future.
Lily Ji
“There’s the most important word: Being. Being lost in the moment Being at peace with the world. Being kinder to myself. Being kinder to others. Being able to let go. And being proud to to so.” – Lily Ji
You might not be famiiar with Lily Ji yet but trust us, you will be soon. She plays Chinese Cadet Mei Lin Gao opposite John Boyega in the anticipated Legendary/Universal sequel Pacific Rim Uprising, hitting theaters on March 23, 2018. On top of that, Ji just wrapped a lead role in the Tencent feature film Treasure League, which is slated for this Summer. Originally from Beijing, China, Ji is fluent bi-lingual (English/Mandarin) and has a deep understanding of both East and West cultures. Trained in MMA, Chinese Kong Fu, Martial Arts and Tai-Chi, she’s a strong yet fierce sweetheart playing strong Asian female characters in Hollywood and part of the new generation of action girls.
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