This new decade is expected to be an exciting one for cinema. Directors and actors continue to push the envelope, blurring the lines between high art and accessible entertainment. While much of the mainstream is oriented toward superhero movies these days, there’s also a whole other world of filmmakers out there swimming against the stream.
The actors gathered on this list are all prolific, young auteurs who have proven their ability to wow audiences in big-budget flicks, grainy indies, and genre gems. These are the faces to watch out for in the 2020s. When you see their names on a poster for a new movie, make sure to check it out.
Robert Pattinson
This British actor became a superstar after playing Cedric Diggory in the Harry Potter films and then dreamy vampire Edward Cullen in the Twilight movies. Instead of continuing his life as a big-budget fantasy star, Robert Pattison used his fame to make a name for himself as a passionate, experimental actor who isn’t afraid to stir up controversy with his roles.
Pattinson has worked with critically acclaimed directors like David Cronenberg, Claire Denis, and Werner Herzog. Recently, he’s starred in the extolled Safdie brothers movie High Time and alongside Willem Dafoe in Robert Eggers’s new horror gem The Lighthouse. Pattison will star in Christopher Nolan’s forthcoming Tenet, but the real reason to keep him on your radar is that he will soon bring his acting talent one of the most beloved superheroes of all time: Batman.
Tessa Thompson
It’s hard to turn on a television or go to a theatre without seeing Tessa Thompson. There’s a good reason for this: she’s a skilled, compelling actor who brings style, humor, and deep feelings to every performance. Thompson has been featured in everything ranging from MCU superhero flicks to arthouse treasures. Her filmography includes Selma, Avengers: Endgame, Annihilation, and Sorry to Bother You.
Thompson is also an accomplished television actor, known for her roles in Veronica Mars and HBO’s Westworld. Thompson just won’t stop. She’s slated to reprise her role as Valkyrie in the next Thor movie, and she’s set as the main character Irene in Rebecca Hall’s upcoming adaptation of Nella Larsen’s book Passing.
Michael B. Jordan
Michael B. Jordan made a name for himself as an actor to watch with his portrayal of Oscar Grant in Fruitvale Station, a film based on a true story of a black man who was shot and killed by a BART police officer in Oakland, California. He then became even more popular after playing Adonis Creed in both Creed films.
Jordan made his Marvel debut in Fantastic Four, later wowing audiences with his role as Erik Killmonger in Black Panther. Jordan’s latest film, an adaption of Bryan Stevenson’s book Just Mercy, focuses on Stevenson’s life story as a young death row lawyer seeking to exonerate a man named Walter McMillian. He’s recently received praise for acting in and producing the Netflix superhero drama Raising Dion.
Mia Goth
Mia Goth may be best known in the media as the former spouse of Shia Labeouf, but she’s an adept and interesting actor who deserves her own narrative. Even though her filmography is shorter than other actors on this list, it includes some of the most breathtaking and powerful movies from the past decade. Goth is only 26, and she has a long, exciting career ahead of her.
She made her feature film debut in Lars Von Trier’s controversial Nymphomaniac, going on to act in dark, suspenseful dramas and horror movies like A Cure For Wellness, Suspiria, and High Life. She’s starring in the upcoming biopic about Jane Austen called Emma and the Antonio Campos thriller The Devil All The Time.
Timothée Chalamet
Even though he’s just 24-years-old, Chalamet already has an Oscar nomination and numerous positive critical reviews under his belt. His first film was Jason Reitman’s Men, Women & Children, soon followed by Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar. He became an overnight sensation after playing 17-year-old Elio Perlman in the queer romantic drama Call Me By Your Name.
Chalamet remains dedicated to quirky and character-driven roles, most recently as Laurie in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women. He’s set to play the main character, Paul Atreides, in Denis Villeneuve’s much-anticipated adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune. He’s also on board for Wes Anderson’s next film, The French Dispatch.
Awkwafina
Rapper, comedian, and dramatic actor Awkwafina just won a lead actor Golden Globe for her commanding performance in Lulu Wang’s The Farewell, becoming the first person of Asian descent to win the award. While she’s been cast in big-budget films like 2018’s all-female Ocean’s 8 and Jumanji: The Next Level, her scope as an actor is seemingly infinite. She joined the almost exclusively Asian cast of Crazy Rich Asians in 2018, playing Goh Peik Lin.
Be excited about her new Comedy Central series, Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens, as well as her roles in Ryan Murphy’s upcoming musical The Prom and the drama Breaking News in Yuba County.
LaKeith Stanfield
LaKeith Stanfield’s filmography is rousing, especially when you consider he’s only 28-years-old and made his feature film debut in 2012. He’s stood out in films like Selma, Dope, Get Out, and Sorry to Bother You. Anyone hanging out in movie theatres this past holiday season would have seen him in two of the most acclaimed new releases: Uncut Gems and Knives Out.
Stanfield is also a star in Donald Glover’s hit dark comedy, Atlanta. He brings a characteristic eccentricity and rawness to his performances that has proved irresistible time and time again. Look out for him in the upcoming romance The Photograph and in the as-of-yet untitled biopic about Black Panther Party member Fred Hampton.
Saoirse Ronan
At 25, Saoirse Ronan has already won a Golden Globe and received three Oscar nominations, proving her performances have caught the attention of many critics over her film career, which began in 2007 with her role in Amy Heckerling’s romantic comedy I Could Never Be Your Woman. While she’s earned the most credit for her work with director Greta Gerwig, first in Lady Bird and then in Little Women, Ronan’s filmography is expansive.
She’s starred in vampire films, period dramas, and fantastical thrillers, working with directors like Neil Jordan, Peter Weir, and Peter Jackson. Her film credits include Atonement, Loving Vincent, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Brooklyn. Her forthcoming films are Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch and the romantic drama Ammonite.
Barry Keoghan
Barry Keoghan stunned filmgoers with his chilling performance in Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Killing of a Sacred Deer. This young Irish actor doesn’t have many credits under his belt yet, but he’s set to become a big name once the MCU movie The Eternals is released in 2020. In this comic book adaptation, Keoghan will play Druig.
Keoghan’s other credits include Dunkirk, Trespass Against Us, and the award-winning HBO miniseries Chernobyl. He’s slated to star in another comic book adaptation, this time as Yorick Brown in Y, based on the series by Brian K. Vaughn.
Florence Pugh
2019 was a big year for Florence Pugh. She starred in two critically acclaimed films: first as Dani in Ari Aster’s demented fairy tale Midsommar and then as Amy March in Little Women. Before that, she made a mark with her roles in Lady Macbeth and the BBC miniseries The Little Drummer Girl.
She’s only 24, and Pugh’s next major role is a big one: she is playing the Marvel comic book character Black Widow opposite Scarlett Johansson in the upcoming film of the same name.
