Over the last few years, there have been a number of bright, new talents recognized with Academy Awards nominations and heady praise from the industry.
While Jennifer Lawrence is the only member of the group to take home an Oscar thus far, there are plenty of other exceptional actors that are poised to become fixtures at Hollywood’s biggest night – actors ready to step up as the generations all move forward one spot, taking over as the leading men and women as the Leos and Kates move into being fortysomethings and fiftysomethings, bumping the Richard Geres and Meryl Streeps of the world into the territory Jack, Al and Dame Judi Dench have been holding down for years.
Here’s a look at 10 future stars with tremendous Oscar potential.
Quvenzhane Wallis
When you’re the youngest person ever to be nominated for an Oscar and earn such an honour with your first role, chances are it won’t be your last time being nominated. Wallis held her own in this year’s remake of Annie and will get to prove her mettle alongside Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfried and Octavia Spencer in the upcoming Fathers and Daughters.
Miles Teller
While J.K. Simmons took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a hardened, abusive jazz instructor in Whiplash, his performance doesn’t work as well without Teller going scene-for-scene with him on the drum kit. The 28-year-old has already stuck out in some pretty bad movies (the Footloose remake, 21 & Over) and though he’s a part of the Divergent ensemble, Teller gets lead billing in a franchise later this year when he plays Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic in the reboot of The Fantastic Four.
Shailene Woodley
You can’t mention Divergent without talking about its star and Woodley is very much a star. Don’t be surprised is Woodley and Lawrence become friendly rivals, going back and forth with standout performances over the next decade or two. Don’t forget: before she started breaking the rules in her own teen action franchise, Woodley was amazing in The Descendents.
Anton Yelchin
With five movies lined up for 2015 and memorable turns in Alpha Dog and Charlie Bartlett already in his back pocket, Yelchin is one of those actors that you kind of recognize, will see again several times and then next thing you know he’s killing it in something heavier and earning an Oscar nod. He’s capable of having a Heath Ledger-like trajectory from this point forward and has the chops to handle grittier fare.
Jena Malone
Malone was a hit early in her career, hanging alongside Julia Robets and Susan Sarandon in Stepmom and a pair of smaller gems, The Secret Lives of Altar Boys and Saved! before floating under the radar for nearly a decade, only to pop up in the second installment of The Hunger Games. She’ll be back for Mockingjay: Part II later this year and is rumoured to be part of the Superman vs. Batman: Dawn of Justice cast as well, so expect to see more from the 30-year-old from here on out.
Nicholas Hoult
Remember the goofy kid from About A Boy? Well he’s all grown up, has already done two turns as Hank McCoy/Beast in the second round of X-Men films and he dated Jennifer Lawrence to boot. Hoult will next be seen in Mad Max: Fury Road and will have a chance to really show his stuff alongside a pair of Oscar winners, Ben Kingsley and Anthony Hopkins, later this year in Autobahn.
Emma Stone
Nominated this year for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Birdman, the 26-year-old Stone stars in the upcoming Woody Allen picture Irrational Man alongside Joaquin Phoenix and has the potential to be the next Julia Roberts. Remember where you heard that.
Michael B. Jordan
Fans of The Wire are pleased to see that Wallace grew up to become a terrific actor. Jordan earned high praise for his work in Fruitvale Station, joins Teller as Johnny Storm/Human Torch in The Fantastic Four series and will play the title role in the Rocky spin-off Creed as well. See – you can make it out of the terrace.
Chloe Grace Moretz
The 18-year-old already has a long list of credits to her name, most notably Kick-Ass and its sequel, If I Stay and the remake of Carrie. She can play it tough, she can play it sweet and she can play it anything and everything in between. Moretz is the younger dark horse to upset the Jennifer Lawrence-Shailene Woodley run of dominance in the next few years.
Daniel Radcliffe
Harry Potter is going to win an Oscar somewhere down the line. He’s funnier than you might know and has already well clear of the role that made him famous, having turned in solid performances in The F Word and Horns last year. This year, Radcliffe turns up as Igor in Victor Frankenstein and he joins the ensemble for the second Now You See Me film next year as well.
